ST. PAUL - Jason Pominville, Chris Stewart and Eric Staal scored in a six-round shootout as the Minnesota Wild extended their winning streak to three, beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in an NHL game at Xcel Energy Center on Friday night.
Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba scored in regulation for the Wild (14-8-4), who had 25 saves from Devan Dubnyk in their first home game since the day after Thanksgiving.
Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored goals and goaltender Cam Talbot made 34 saves, but the Oilers head home with a 0-1-2 mark on their road trip, having seen a lead slip away in all three games.
It was another superlative night for Dubnyk, who is 5-0-2 in his past seven starts and leads the NHL in goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts. He stopped four of the six Oilers he faced in the shootout, with Draisaitl and Jordan Eberle scoring for Edmonton in the shootout.
The teams traded opportunities for much of the first period, until Draisaitl finally broke through in the final minute. After a set-up pass from Benoit Pouliot, Draisaitl put a low shot on Dubnyk that he blocked with his left leg pad, only see Draisaitl grab his own rebound and score his team-leading 13th. It was the sixth goal in as many games for Draisaitl.
Edmonton dominated the early part of the second period, rattling off the first five unanswered shots on goal, and looked poised to add to its lead. Instead Minnesota tied the game as Jason Pominville fed a pass to the blue line, then provided a screen in front of Talbot as Dumba blasted a long-range shot through a crowd and into the lower corner of the net.
Minnesota took a 2-1 lead early in the third after a turnover by Oilers star Connor McDavid deep in the Edmonton zone. Wild left wing Mikael Granlund fed a cross-ice pass to Zucker, who lifted a shot over Talbot.
But a late power play gave the Oilers the opportunity to draw even, and they did so when Nugent-Hopkins’ shot from the blue line beat Dubnyk low on the stick side.
In the 3-on-3 overtime, McDavid was whistled for high sticking Wild left wing Zach Parise. Minnesota had five shots on the power play and Charlie Coyle hit the post with a shot, but they could not score.
-- Minnesota is close to getting a pair of players back from knee injuries. D Christian Folin, who has missed five games, and F Zac Dalpe, who has missed 16 games, both skated in practice Friday. Folin warmed up with the team before Friday’s game, but was scratched.
Edmonton 1 0 1- 2
Minnesota 0 1 1- 3
First Period-1, Edmonton, Draisaitl 13 (Pouliot, Pitlick) 19:04.
Second Period-2, Minnesota, Dumba 3 (Niederreiter, Pominville) 4:26.
Third Period-3, Minnesota, Zucker 5 (Granlund) 1:16. 4, Edmonton, Nugent-Hopkins 5 (Klefbom, Eberle) 15:21 (pp).
Overtime-No scoring.
Shootout-Edmonton 2 (Letestu NG, Hendricks NG, Draisaitl G, McDavid NG, Eberle G, Nugent-Hopkins NG), Minnesota 3 (Pominville G, Koivu NG, Parise NG, Coyle NG, Stewart G, Staal G).
Shots on Goal-Edmonton 11-9-4-27. Minnesota 6-10-11-36.
Power-play opportunities-Edmonton 1 of 3. Minnesota 0 of 4.
Goalies-Edmonton Talbot 13-9-4 (36 shots-34 saves). Minnesota Dubnyk 12-6-3 (27-25).
A-19,019 (18,064). T-2:45.
