Draisaitl has 4 points, Oilers stay hot against Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Minnesota Wild 7-1 at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.

Draisaitl has 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a four-game point streak.

“Everyone was really good, but Leon really was at another level,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “His two linemates really helped out, [Vasily Podkolzin] and (Kasperi) Kapanen. Those three have been playing well.

“But Leon the last week or so has really been on top of his game.”

Connor Brown had a goal and an assist, and Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, Podkolzin and Darnell Nurse each had two assists for Edmonton (17-10-2), which has won four straight and seven of its past eight (7-1-0). Calvin Pickard made 29 saves.

“I think we were very motivated to play a good hockey team, first in the NHL, that's been playing really well and not giving very much up,” Knoblauch said. “I think we've been playing some good hockey lately. I think right through our lineup, I think everyone gave us a really good game. And anytime that Minnesota had some opportunities to get back in the game, I think [Pickard] came up big with key saves.”

Frederick Gaudreau scored for Minnesota (19-6-4), which has lost two of three. Filip Gustavsson allowed five goals on 26 shots before being replaced at the start of the third period by Marc-Andre Fleury, who made seven saves in relief.

“I think we've had a lot of good things that have gone on for us this year,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “Tonight was an uncharacteristic night for us. I'm not going to overthink it. Tonight is what it is. We have to get ready for Saturday (against the Philadelphia Flyers).”

Zach Hyman scored five seconds into a power play to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead at 6:59 of the first period. McDavid sent a backdoor pass to Draisaitl, whose shot into an open net deflected in off Hyman.

“Yeah, it’s one of those where that’s like my spot, standing backside, and then I turn and he shoots it and you feel it but you’re kind of like, ‘Ehhh,’" Hyman said. "But Leon was the first to say, ‘It was yours.'"

Kapanen extended the lead to 2-0 at 15:40, scoring from the low slot off a backhand pass from behind the net by Draisaitl.

Gaudreau cut it to 2-1 at 18:48, redirecting Brock Faber's shot from just inside the blue line with three seconds remaining on a power play.

Brown made it 3-1 at 1:55 of the second period, scoring a short-handed goal from the left circle on a 3-on-2 rush.

“You never want to have games like this, but they're just instances,” Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said. "... Just little things that we weren't doing right tonight, and it seemed to be just one after the other. So, back to work tomorrow."

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins increased the lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal at 12:54. He kicked a rebound to his stick in front and scored with a backhand near the right post.

“We started well and we kind of just kept the foot on the gas pedal,” Oilers defenseman Ty Emberson said. “There was no letup, there was no lapses in our defensive play, so I think that’s something that we can build on.”

Draisaitl made it 5-1 at 15:54. Bouchard sent a backhand pass to Draisaitl between the legs of Declan Chisholm, and despite Jakub Lauko getting his stick on the puck, it still fluttered over the right shoulder of Gustavsson.

Troy Stecher pushed it to 6-1 at 6:55 of the third period with a shot from the point that deflected in off the glove of Marco Rossi.

Derek Ryan redirected in a point shot from Nurse at 17:26 for the 7-1 final.

“We’ve been playing some really good hockey of late, so we carried that into tonight and played one of our most complete games for 60 minutes against a team that had the best record in the league, and they’re a really good defensive team,” Hyman said.

NOTES: Bouchard left late in the third period after crashing into the post and then the boards following a hit from Ryan Hartman. There was no update postgame. ... Wild defenseman Jake Middleton left 37 seconds into the first period after blocking a shot from Bouchard. There was no update. ... It was Edmonton's first win in St. Paul since Feb. 7, 2019.