The Edmonton Oilers didn’t muster much offence in a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday night.
“We generated numerous looks out there, even at the end I think one went right through the wickets there and it didn’t go in for us,” head coach Jay Woodcroft said after the game. “I thought our guys competed very hard. It was a tough atmosphere and well take the lessons that we learned from tonight’s game and move on to Nashville.”
The teams traded power-play goals in the first period. Wild forward Matt Boldy knifed a deflection past Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner.
Only 1:25 later, Zach Hyman swept a rebound by Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for his tenth goal of the season. Hyman’s goal withstood a coach’s challenge for goalie interference by the Wild.
In the second, Wild defenceman Matt Dumba beat Skinner glove side, but the goal was erased when the Oilers successfully challenged for offside on the zone entry.
The Wild kept coming and went ahead on a goal by Freddie Gaudreau.
The Oilers went on the power play with 51 seconds left in the third when Mats Zuccarello was whistled for tripping Leon Draisaitl. Hyman had the best chance with a tip from the side of the net but the puck skimmed across the crease and to the corner.
“Tight checking game — 2-1 game,” Defenceman Darnell Nurse said. “We pushed, had some offensive zone time, but it wasn’t enough. They found a way to shut it down there in the end.”
Skinner made 28 saves while Fleury made 20.
The Oilers (16-13) will play the Predators in Nashville on Tuesday. You can listen to live coverage of the game on 630 CHED, beginning with The Faceoff Show at 4:30 p.m. The actual game starts at 6 p.m.
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