Minnesota Wild Continue Streak

The Edmonton Oilers came into tonights game looking to collect their 4 straight win and try to snap a 14game  losing streak at the Excel Energy Centre; which dates back to Jan 2007.


No Dice


Special teams proved to be the difference as the Oilers fell to the Wild 4-1 in Minnesota. 


With no goals in the first, Martin Havlat opened the scoring at the 9th minute mark after receiving Zanon's stretch pass and went in on a partial break away to beat Khabibulin. 


Ryan Jones came close to tying the game but was denied by the glove of Backstrom to keep the Oilers off of the board.  Jones had enough time for a smoke before firing the puck into the gaping net. 


Minutes later.


On the transition from deep in the Oilers zone; Sam Gagner corralled the puck who then fed it to Linus Omark for a two-on-two rush.  As the Swede crossed the Wild blue line, he found Kurtis Foster trailing behind Gagner and made no mistake with his top shelf wrister.  Foster's goal was his first even strength goal of the year, and his first goal against his former club.


A buck twenty eight into the third, Kyle Broadziak scored his 20th of the season.  The former Oiler made a great move to freeze Khabibulin with backhand to make it 2-1


On the power play for the Wild, Jared Spurgeon, scored his first NHL goal when fired a slap-shot from the point using Brodziak as screen to double the lead.


Jones negated a Wild Power Play when he was and hauled down partial break away.  Seconds later Dustin Penner drew a penalty for the Oilers to earn themselves a 5-on 3 power-play, but squandered the opportunity score.


After killing off the 5-on-3, the Wild stormed right back to make it 4-1.  Pierre-Marc Bouchard collected a 2 line pass and went in all alone on the break away and beat Khabibulin with a spin o' rama back-hand; to drive the final nail into the Oilers coffin.


The Oilers had 4 shot on 12 power play and could only manage 6 shots in the final period.


Those young Oilers will now head to the Mile High city to face the Avalanche which will be aired on tomorrow night, on TSN.






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