The Minnesota Wild came up short in their 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers inside Rogers Place on Friday night.
The Wild were outshot 40-20, outplayed through two periods and allowed two power play goals en route to their second straight loss. The Oilers extended their win streak to six games.
Edmonton controlled 61 percent of the Corsi share (52-33), 71 percent of the expected goal share (2.94-1.19) and outshot the Wild 32-11 after two periods, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Wild were fortunate to only be down 1-0 after the first period. The Oilers tested Marc-Andre Fleury and the team early and often. The Wild entered the second down just one goal thanks to Fleury’s 17 first-period saves in what was a 36-save performance for the 39-year-old approaching significant milestones. Fleury made 13 high-danger saves on 14 shots in the contest.
Evan Bouchard was the only Oiler in the first period Friday that solved the future Hall of Famer. The 24-year-old defenseman’s shot from the right circle beat Fleury high glove under the bar, a goal that only happened because of Ryan Nugent Hopkins’ — who recorded four assists — slick cross-slot pass.
The Wild came out better right away in the second with two goals 26 seconds apart after Fleury bailed them out in the first and kept the deficit to one.
Matt Boldy scored 15 seconds into the period on a rebound in front for a 1-1 tie, and then the 22-year-old earned a primary assist on Joel Eriksson Ek’s team-leading 13th goal of the season, which gave the Wild a 2-1 lead.
But it didn’t take long for the Oilers to respond. Connor McDavid tied the game at two apiece 40 seconds later when he cut through the slot to the net, got Fleury out of position and put the puck inside the post on the backhand.
Connor Dewar scored his sixth goal of the season on a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle with 8:02 left in the middle frame after Hartman found him from behind the net.
But the Wild's 3-2 lead evaporated as the Oilers sealed the deal with two power play goals, one late in the second and the other early in the third.
Leon Draisaitl one-timed Nugent Hopkins’ feed past Fleury short side from the right circle with 1:30 left in the second. Then, Bouchard scored his second goal of the game on a one-timer from the middle a minute and 32 seconds into the third — a one-goal lead the Oilers sustained the rest of the game.
Jonas Brodin left the game early in the third period and didn’t return after taking a dangerous hit from Evander Kane along the boards, which could result in a suspension or fine. No penalty was assessed to Kane for the hit.
The Wild didn’t score on either of their two power plays and went 2-for-4 on the penalty kill. The Wild are now 9-12-4 and remain six points back of the Nashville Predators, who hold the second wild card spot in the West with 28 points.
The Wild started their four-game road trip this week with a 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames — which extended their winning streak to four games. But the Wild couldn’t solve Casey DeSmith in their 2-0 loss to the Canucks on Thursday. The Wild wrap up their road trip against the Kraken Sunday night.