Edmonton Oilers look for fourth straight win as they face the Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild will be hosting in the last placed team in the Western Conference, Edmonton Oilers this Tuesday. This will be the fourth out of the six scheduled meetings due to take place during the course of the season.
The Wild have won each of the first three meetings outscoring the Oilers 12-5 during the course of the three games. Mikko Koivu and Kyle Bozdiak both scored two goals each in the first and second games between the two sides respectively.
The Oilers were going through some tough times in the league which saw them dropping to the bottom of the Western Conference. However, they have been able to pace up their game and they have piled up some good results recently. They have won the last three
consecutive games and will be looking to make it four in a row. This is one of their best runs which after late November which saw them winning four consecutive games.
On the other hand, this will be Wild’s final home-stand game. They have scored three out of a possible four points in two games and a win here would help them a great deal and boost their chances of a play-off finish.
In their most recent game, the Wild were up against the Detroit Red Wings this past Sunday. The game was expected to be tight and it proved to be the case as the scores were level on 1-1 at the end of regulation time. However, the game couldn’t be decided
after overtime so it went into shootout where Todd Bertuzzi’s goal won the game for the Red Wings.
Nicklas Backstrom is in good form and made sure that his team didn’t lose all two points as he made 38 saves during the course of the games to earn a point for the Wild.
"He played great. It guess it's something that you come to expect, making certain saves look easy and making some saves that you're not expecting him to make," coach Todd Richards said.
Both teams have played 59 games in the season out which the Wild have won 31 games in regulation time, six games in overtime and scored a total of 68 points. On the other hand, the Oilers have won 19 games in regulation time, eight games in overtime to score
46 point.
The Oilers are a young and talented squad. They came across a great deal of disappointment due to the relative inexperience. However, they have come up with some decent results in the past few games winning all three games.
In their most recent game against the Atlanta Thrashers, the Oilers were trailing going into the final period but Taylor Hall took charge and scored a hat-trick as the Oilers won the game 5-3 in the end.
"It's a great feeling anytime a player can get a hat trick and contribute to your team," Hall said. "But if we don't get those power plays and play strong as a group in the third, I don't get those goals.
"It was a really fun night on all parts. Everyone chanting your name and all of the hats raining down, it's something I will never forget."
The game is going to be very tight and exciting considering the fact that the Wild will look for a win to score vital points while the Oilers would be looking to match their best performance during the current season.
Tags: