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Wild turn tables on Oilers The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Two nights after getting routed in Edmonton, the Minnesota Wild were the aggressors from the start in a 3-1 victory over the Oilers on Wednesday night.
Sean Hill, Branko Radivojevic and Brian Rolston scored and Mikko Koivu added three assists for the Wild, who started a four-game homestand with a victory to leap-frog Calgary into first place in the Northwest Division.
Niklas Backstrom made 31 saves, and got some help from a defense that left him exposed in a 5-3 loss to the Oilers on Monday night.
The younger, faster Oilers ripped right through the porous Minnesota zone on Monday night, scoring three goals on their first four shots.
The Wild had the fast start in this one, scoring two goals on their first four shots to make things tougher on Edmonton, which had won 12 of its last 15 games to vault back into playoff contention.
Fernando Pisani scored for the Oilers, who began the night trailing Vancouver by three points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Getting in won't be easy. The Oilers started a three-game road trip and play four of their last five away from raucous Rexall Place.
Marian Gaborik and Radivojevic broke free on a two-on-one less than three minutes into the game, and everyone in the building expected Gaborik, the Wild's leading scorer, to take the shot.
But he waited and waited, slipping a backhanded pass across the crease at the last possible second and Radivojevic finished it off.
Just over four minutes later, Hill took a brilliant blind feed from Koivu on a power play and sneaked the puck past Dwayne Roloson on the short side for a 2-0 advantage.
Blue Jackets 4, Blackhawks 0
Clay Wilson had a goal and his first assist in his NHL second game to lead Columbus over Chicago.
Wilson, Jiri Novotny and Michael Peca scored in the third period after Joakim Lindstrom put Columbus ahead in the first period.
Fredrik Norrena made 17 saves for the Blue Jackets, who ended a three-game losing streak.
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