Minnesota Wild's Matt Boldy (12) looks for the rebound from Edmonton Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard (30) as Cody Ceci (5) defends during first period NHL action in Edmonton on Friday February 23, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
EDMONTON – Matt Boldy scored a pair of goals as the Minnesota Wild came away with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.
Jonas Brodin and Mats Zuccarello also scored for the Wild (27-24-6), who have gone 6-1-1 in their last eight games.
Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman responded for the Oilers (33-18-2), who have lost two in a row, but are nonetheless 28-7-1 in their last 36 games.
Edmonton actually outshot the Wild 43-19 in the game.
It appeared as if the Wild had taken a 1-0 lead about seven minutes into the opening period on a snipe by Joel Eriksson Ek, but the goal was quickly deemed to have been as the result of being offside and was negated by a video review.
Minnesota started the scoring for real with just 23 seconds to play in the first when Boldy cut into the middle and unleashed a wrist shot that ticked off of the glove of Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard and in for his 21st of the season. Eriksson Ek picked up an assist to extend his points streak to seven games.
Edmonton evened up the contest with a power-play marker midway through the second period as Connor McDavid sent a backhand pass to Draisaitl and he beat Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson short side with his patented one-timer from the right wing for his 28th of the season.
McDavid extended his home-game point streak to 21 games, tying his personal best such streak set last year.
The Oilers came close to getting another one six minutes later when Mattias Ekholm flipped a puck from behind the goal-line that snuck behind Gustavsson and sat in the crease, but Declan Chisholm put it into his pads after almost poking it in himself.
The Wild retook the lead 9:31 into the third period as Brodin stepped in from the point and blasted a shot past Pickard for his fifth of the season. Kirill Kaprizov extended his points streak to seven games with an assist.
Minnesota went up by a pair 12:17 into the third as Edmonton coughed up the puck and Boldy showed off his deft hands to notch his second of the game.
Edmonton got one back with another power play goals coming with five minutes to play as a rebound pinballed around in front before coming to Hyman at the side of the net for his team-leading 35th goal of the campaign.
The Wild put the game away on an empty-net goal by Zuccarello.
Edmonton had 24 shots in the third period.
NOTES
It was the third and final meeting of the season between the two clubs. Each team had previously won on home ice “¦ Draisaitl collected his 284th career power-play point, moving him past Mark Messier for sole possession of third place in franchise history “¦ In addition to long-term injuries to Marcus Foligno, Pat Maroon and Jared Spurgeon, the Wild were also missing Zach Bogosian (upper body). Jon Merrill subbed in to take Bogosian’s place on the blue line “¦ The Oilers were healthy, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returning after missing the previous game with an illness “¦ It was the start of a hectic stretch of 29 games in 55 days for the Oilers, including seven back-to-backs.
UP NEXT
Wild: Complete a three-game road trip against the Kraken in Seattle on Saturday.
Oilers: Play the third game of a five-game homestand on Saturday against the rival Calgary Flames.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2024.
