Gameday 34 (Thu, 21 Feb) - Results

Buffalo v Toronto 1-3 - Ron Rolston's debut as coach of the Buffalo Sabres was spoiled by one of his former pupils. James van Riemsdyk, who played under Rolston for two years with the United States National Team Development Program, scored twice on Thursday as the Maple Leafs beat the Sabres 3-1 in Rolston's first game since replacing Lindy Ruff, who was in his 16th season behind the Buffalo bench when he was fired on Wednesday. Van Riemsdyk, an offseason acquisition by former general manager Brian Burke, leads the Maple Leafs with 11 goals. Ben Scrivens rebounded from being pulled in his last start, stopping 31 shots for and improving to a 5-4-0 record this season. The Sabres got off to a good start under their new coach when Tyler Ennis scored his sixth of the season at 13:20 of the opening period. Ennis took a pass from Drew Stafford at the blue line and zipped a wrist shot to the top corner past Scrivens. The scoring play was a result of a good breakout by the Sabres. Earlier in the day, Rolston said he noticed the team he inherited from Ruff took "a lot of shortcuts." The Sabres tried to dispel that notion early on as they buzzed around Scrivens until they eventually opened the scoring. Dion Phaneuf tied the game 1:15 into the period by blasting a power-play shot past Ryan Miller. The goal came with three seconds left in Alexander Sulzer's holding penalty. Phil Kessel and Cody Franson assisted on the 100th goal of Phaneuf's NHL career. The Sabres thought they went ahead when Steve Ott backhanded the puck into the Maple Leafs goal at 7:08. However, it was ruled that Kevin Porter had interfered with Scrivens and the goal was waived off. Porter, who was called up from the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League earlier in the day, was given a two-minute minor penalty for bumping Scrivens. While the Maple Leafs did not capitalize on the power play, they did get the go-ahead goal at 18:04. Kessel pounced on a turnover in the neutral zone, raced into the Sabres' zone and spotted Van Riemsdyk at the edge of the crease for an easy tap-in. The 23-year-old is enjoying life on the first line and is making the most of increased playing time, something he desired when he played in Philadelphia. He added an insurance goal during a 5-on-3 power play with 5:32 left in regulation. Van Riemsdyk is presenting his coach with a good problem now that top-line forward Joffrey Lupul is skating again. Lupul, who broke his forearm last month, could return to the lineup in the next four weeks. Miller made a spectacular save just over a minute into the opening period, sprawling along the ice to deny Leo Komarov's sweeping shot that seemed to be destined for the back of the net. He made the best of his 33 saves in the third period, robbing Van Riemsdyk with his glove when the Sabres were down two men. He also made a nice save on Kessel, who charged in on goal after being a passout from Tyler Bozak. NHL scoring leader Thomas Vanek had several glorious chances early on but could not convert. On the first opportunity, Vanek was set up by Cody Hodgson in the slot but shot high. Moments later, Scrivens denied Vanek's low, hard drive with a left pad save and then stoned him again on the rebound. Instead the Sabres lost their third in a row and are now 4-11-1 since opening the season with back-to-back wins.

Florida v Philadelphia 5-2 - Philadelphia rapidly is becoming a can't-miss destination for Jonathan Huberdeau. Florida's rookie forward scored twice and had a pair of assists as the Panthers snapped a five-game winless skid by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 on Thursday night. Huberdeau's big night came two weeks after after the 19-year-old scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout in Florida's previous visit to Philadelphia. Clemmensen was good in his own right Thursday, stopping 32 of 34 shots for his first win of the season. Teammate Peter Mueller added a pair of goals, and Mike Weaver and Drew Shore each had a pair of assists. Luke Schenn and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov allowed four goals on 15 shots before being pulled midway through the second period. The Panthers jumped on the Flyers with a pair of goals 29 seconds apart midway through the first, and then Huberdeau, the third pick of the 2011 NHL Draft, doubled the Florida lead. He poked the puck away from Schenn at the Florida blue line and flew out of the zone. The puck went to Mueller, who hit Huberdeau for a breakaway that was stopped when Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen bear-hugged the rookie. Referees awarded a penalty shot, which allowed him to showcase his offensive creativity. Huberdeau skated in on Bryzgalov, slowed down in the slot with the puck on his backhand, and when Bryzgalov reached to try to poke the puck away from him, Huberdeau pulled the puck around the goaltender's stick and slid it between his pads for his seventh goal of the season at 10:15. It was the Panthers' first penalty-shot goal since Oct. 30, 2010. It also was the kind of start the Panthers were hoping to get against a Philadelphia team that had played an emotional, physical game just a night earlier in Pittsburgh. The Panthers made it 4-0 on Huberdeau's power-play goal at 11:46 of the second. Erik Gudbranson's stick broke on a shot from the point, but the puck rolled right to Shore. He attempted to tip it to Huberdeau, but the Flyers' Braydon Coburn intercepted it. However, Coburn couldn't clear it, and Shore got another chance. This time he found Huberdeau, who was able to tuck the puck under Bryzgalov. The big night was more impressive when you realize Huberdeau wasn't sure he'd be able to play after being hit in the knee by a puck in practice Wednesday. The Flyers pushed back in the third, with Schenn's second goal of the season coming at 13:49, when his point shot went through traffic and past Clemmensen. Mueller's second of the game made it 5-1. Huberdeau started the play with a nice pass to a cutting Shore for a shot from the low slot that replacement goaltender Brian Boucher stopped, but Mueller was there to knock in the rebound at 14:33 for his sixth of the season. One minute later, Eric Gustafsson's shot went wide of the net but right to where Voracek was stationed. He stepped in front and backhanded the puck between Clemmensen's pads at 15:35. But it was too late for the Flyers, who again started slowly, allowing the game's first goal for the 10th time in 19 games. Things started poorly almost from the opening whistle, with Dmitry Kulikov nearly scoring on the game's first shift when his shot from the right point 22 seconds into the game hit the post and bounced off the back Bryzgalov's leg. But he was able to reach back and keep the puck from crossing the goal line. Florida wouldn't be held off the scoreboard long, though, as Mueller and Kopecky scored in rapid succession. Weaver held a puck in at the Flyers' blue line and dumped it deep to Huberdeau in the left corner. He spotted Mueller open in the slot, and the Panthers' forward snapped a wrist shot past Bryzgalov at 8:15. On the next shift, Weaver jumped on a loose puck in the neutral zone and spotted a streaking Kopecky, whose wrist shot from the inside edge of the right circle beat Bryzgalov over his blocker at 8:44. While the win feels nice, the Panthers don't have much time to celebrate, they play in Pittsburgh on Friday.

New Jersey v Washington 3-2 - The New Jersey Devils can only hope the Washington Capitals are similarly gracious hosts on Saturday. Playing the first of two games in three days at Verizon Center, the Devils defeated the Capitals 3-2 Thursday on a third-period power-play goal by Ilya Kovalchuk. The goal with 8:20 remaining came during a 5-on-3 advantage and capped a stretch in which the Capitals took five consecutive minor penalties after entering the third period with a 2-1 lead. Kovalchuk took a pass from Patrik Elias in the high slot and while falling to a knee, ripped a shot past Capitals goalie Braden Holtby. The teams play again in Washington on Saturday afternoon, a rare regular-season occurrence in the schedule. The Capitals (5-10-1) have lost two in a row after a three-game winning streak. Andrei Loktionov scored his first goal for the Devils at 9:19 of the third to tie the game 2-2. Following a series of failed power plays, including a 5-on-3 for 1:46, Loktionov pushed a loose puck past Holtby. Loktionov was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in a trade Feb. 6. Mike Ribeiro gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at 12:40 of the second period. He gathered a loose puck between the circles, and while moving backward, moved it from his skate to his stick and flicked a shot past Martin Brodeur. Earlier in that power play, Elias scored shorthanded for the Devils. Adam Henrique stole the puck from Washington defenseman John Carlson behind the Capitals net and passed to Elias. He returned the puck to Henrique, who came out from behind the net and slipped a pass back to Elias. The leading scorer in the history of the Devils' franchise directed it in at the right post at 11:16. Washington scored first on a power play at 9:28 of the second period. Troy Brouwer carried from his blue line into the Devils zone, where he avoided defenseman Henrik Tallinder. Brouwer's shot was stopped by Brodeur, but Mathieu Perreault slapped the rebound into the net. Holtby made 34 saves and the Capitals blocked 18 shots. Brodeur had to stop just 17 shots for career win No. 664.

Winnipeg v Carolina 4-3 - Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd didn't need extra motivation on the occasion of his 500th NHL game. But if he had to play the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that drafted him before trading him away, then so much the better. Ladd scored a goal and added two assists, lifting the Jets to a 4-3 wild, back-and-forth win. Ladd's third-period goal gave the Jets to a 3-2 lead, the third time they jumped ahead of the Hurricanes. After Carolina tied it, Winnipeg would get the winner on Blake Wheeler's second of the night to capture their second game in a row. The game lacked energy for most of 40 minutes. Ladd helped the Jets to a quick start less than two minutes in, skating through the neutral zone to set up Wheeler for a wrister that beat Ward to the far post. Carolina tied the game 1-1 late in the period on a highlight-reel goal. Alex Semin whipped a no-look backhander through the crease to Jiri Tlusty, who tapped the puck home on the forehand. But neither team could must much offense in the second period, leaving the outcome open-ended for the final 20 minutes. Winnipeg's Evander Kane started the action in the third, sending a wrister past Ward on the short side, but Jordan Staal quickly countered for Carolina to make it 2-2. Ladd put the Jets back on top, picking up a rebound in front for his ninth goal of the season. Then the Hurricanes answered again, this time on Tlusty's second of the night. But the Jets had one more in the tank, when Wheeler got behind the Carolina defense and scored 1-on-1 against Ward. Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec made a handful of key stops throughout the evening, earning his fifth win of the season with a 27-save performance. Ward struggled in the Carolina net for the second straight game. On the heels of a 3-0 shutout loss to Montreal, Ward was unable to find his form. He entered with a 3.19 goals-against average, and afterward Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller tried to offer a balanced assessment of Ward's uneven play. The Hurricanes were playing with 50 percent of their regular defensemen on the shelf. Joni Pitkanen, Tim Gleason and Jamie McBain all sat out, opening the door for the NHL debut of Ryan Murphy. The Hurricanes' first-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft joined the team on emergency recall from the Kitchener Rangers and logged 23:51 of ice time. Much of the talk in Winnipeg's dressing room surrounded the frightening injury to rookie defenseman Zach Redmond during the morning skate. Redmond fell and had the back of his leg cut by a teammate's skate, resulting in a tense 15-minute ordeal in which he lost a lot of blood before being taken to the hospital by ambulance. Redmond underwent surgery Thursday afternoon to repair a laceration to his right femoral artery and vein. The danger was clear to all the Winnipeg players, who said the team's pregame meal was quiet as they awaited word on their teammate.

NY Islanders v Montreal 4-3 - It's been nearly six years since Thomas Hickey was selected with the No 4 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, and he's been waiting at least that long to experience what he felt Thursday night. Hickey scored the first goal of his career on the tail end of a sensational passing play with Michael Grabner and John Tavares at 3:12 of overtime to give the New York Islanders a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens. The play made by Tavares to make Hickey's goal happen was pretty special as well. Tavares entered the Canadiens zone and as he cut to the middle on Canadiens defenseman Raphael Diaz, he fell, but still managed to flick a pass with one hand lying on his side over to Grabner, who immediately fed Hickey on the other side of the net for his first goal in his 10th career game. Matt Moulson scored his eighth and ninth of the season, and Frans Nielsen had the equalizer in the third period for the Islanders (7-9-1), who got 30 saves from Evgeni Nabokov to keep them in the game long enough to mount a comeback from a 3-1 deficit. The win was the Islanders' third in 10 games and snapped a two-game losing streak, but Tavares said his team needs to stop putting itself in the position where it needs a comeback to win a game. Max Pacioretty scored twice, and Travis Moen added one for the Canadiens (11-4-2), who saw their five-game win streak end. It was Pacioretty's third straight game with a goal after going scoreless in his first 10 games of the season. With Montreal ahead 3-2 heading into the third period, New York finally began to carry the play after being outshot 28-15 through 40 minutes. The persistence paid off at 9:51 of the third when Josh Bailey entered the zone and found a trailing Nielsen all by himself in the slot. His laser wrist shot beat Carey Price high to the glove side for his second of the season and tied the game 3-3. The Canadiens were given a golden opportunity to win it in regulation when Mark Streit was called for high-sticking with the teams already skating 4-on-4, leaving Montreal 36 seconds of 4-on-3 power-play time. But the Islanders killed that effectively as well as the subsequent 5-on-4. Montreal got another power play at 17:03 when Lubomir Visnovsky was called for interference, but the Islanders did not allow a shot on goal on Nabokov and the teams headed to overtime. The Islanders began the game extremely strong, nearly opening the scoring when Streit sent Tavares in alone 30 seconds after the face off, but Price kept it out. The Islanders would test him once more in the first as the Canadiens dominated the rest of the period. Less than 20 seconds after that Tavares chance, the Canadiens got on the board when Colby Armstrong lifted the puck off Andrew MacDonald behind the Islanders net and found Moen alone in the slot. He tucked his shot inside the far post behind Nabokov for his second goal of the season at 0:49. The Canadiens' power play broke an 0-for-11 drought when P.K. Subban fed David Desharnais near the corner, and he in turn found Pacioretty in the slot for a one-timer at 11:02 to put Montreal up 2-0. The Islanders power play did its thing 34 seconds into the second when Streit's point shot was tipped in front by Moulson to make it 2-1, but Pacioretty made it 3-1 Canadiens at 8:30 of the second on another nice feed from Desharnais for a one-timer. A holding penalty to Desharnais gave the Islanders their second power play of the game, and they took 25 seconds to convert, with Tavares finding Moulson alone in the slot for his ninth of the season at 16:57 to make it 3-2 after two periods.

NY Rangers v Ottawa 2-3 - The Ottawa Senators outlasted the New York Rangers 3-2 in a seven-round shootout on Thursday night, but lost their No. 1 goaltender in the process. Kaspars Daugavins slid the puck between Henrik Lundqvist's legs in the seventh round to give the Senators their third victory in four days, all against teams from the New York metropolitan area. They won 2-1 in a shootout at New Jersey on Monday and beat the New York Islanders 3-1 at home on Tuesday. Backup Ben Bishop got the win by stopping six of seven Rangers attempts in the shootout. Bishop entered the game 1:43 into the third period after Rangers forward Chris Kreider lost an edge and slid into the Ottawa net, taking down Anderson in the process. The Senators goaltender was clearly shaken up and appeared to be holding up his right leg as he was helped off the ice. The Senators confirmed that Anderson has a sprained right ankle and is listed as day-to-day. He stopped all 21 shots he faced before the injury. Kreider stepped on Marc Methot's stick, which led to the fall. The Ottawa defenseman described the horror he felt after seeing Anderson go down. The Senators came into the game already missing Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and first-line forwards Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek Jakob Silfverberg and Mika Zibanejad scored in regulation for the Senators. Ryan McDonagh and Ryan Callahan had the goals for the Rangers (8-6-2). Silfverberg and Callahan also scored in the shootout. The Rangers have now lost two straight, while the Senators are on a three-game winning streak. Ottawa (9-6-2) took the lead while killing a tripping penalty to Eric Gryba at 5:32. Silfverberg gained control of the puck in the neutral zone and flew up the right wing. Callahan attempted to catch the Swede but fell, giving Silfverberg plenty of time to sweep across the front of the net before roofing a backhander past Lundqvist at 6:48. It was the first shorthanded goal New York has allowed this season. Silfverberg's deft hands have made swift work of elite goaltenders as of late, the 22-year-old also scored the winning shootout goal against New Jersey's Martin Brodeur on Monday. But the Swede couldn't decide if beating his fellow countryman on Thursday night was a bigger feat. New York's best chance of the period came on its second power play of the game, after Methot was called for hooking at 11:39. During a goalmouth scramble, Anderson was down and out on the left side of the net. Michael Del Zotto gained control of the puck at the right side of the net, but Alfredsson dropped to his knees in front of the open net, and the puck bounced off his left knee. Bishop entered the game with a 1-0 lead, but the Rangers tied the game at 10:44 with a power-play goal after Sergei Gonchar was called for holding. Marc Staal's shot from the point bounced off the end boards and came back in front to Callahan, who beat Bishop to his stick side. Just 51 seconds later, McDonagh's shot from the left point deflected through traffic and beat Bishop through the five hole to put the Rangers ahead. But Ottawa tied the game at 13:30 when Patrick Wiercioch's shot hit Lundqvist and came to Zibanejad at the left of the crease, and the rookie pumped a high shot past the helpless goaltender for a power-play goal. With two minutes left in overtime, Bishop robbed Marian Gaborik and got a break when the Rangers' sniper nailed the post on the rebound. The Rangers have a day off before visiting Montreal on Saturday. The Canadiens beat the Rangers 3-1 in New York on Tuesday.

Boston v Tampa Bay 4-2 - Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton opened the scoring early in the first period Thursday and closed it early in the third. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand added goals around Horton's two, and the Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Horton’s second goal, his sixth of the season, came 2:33 into the final period when he redirected a shot by Zdeno Chara from the left point. Dougie Hamilton picked up his second assist of the game on the goal. The teams exchanged goals in the second period, with Cory Conacher briefly knotting the score at 2-2 with a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask cleanly. Steven Stamkos and Teddy Purcell each got their second point of the game with assists. For Purcell, it gave him seven points over his past five games. Tampa Bay was surging at the midpoint of the period but Boston turned the momentum back when Marchand found a bouncing puck in the slot and put it behind Lightning netminder Anders Lindback to regain the lead, 3-2. Marchand's goal was assisted by Tyler Seguin and Bergeron, and gave the left wing nine goals for the season, good for the team lead. It didn't take long for the Bruins to get on the scoreboard, 71 seconds after the opening faceoff, to be exact. Lindback kicked a rebound of Hamilton's shot from the blueline right to Horton, waiting to his right to hit an open net. The Bruins were right back at it 2:39 later. Lightning defensemen Eric Brewer and Victor Hedman both got caught behind the goal line while Marchand was able to come away with the puck. His pass to Bergeron led to a one-timer and Bergeron's third goal of the season. Boston's two goals came on its first four shots. Stamkos got one goal back when Purcell battled for the puck in the slot and slipped it behind him to Stamkos in the high slot. His snap shot beat Rask just under the crossbar. The goal was No. 11 on the season for Stamkos, who has four over the past three games. Rask stopped 24 shots for the win, his eighth of the season, including a cross-crease dive that denied Benoit Pouliot on what looked like a sure goal. There were three penalties whistled in the game, all against the Bruins. The Boston penalty kill was perfect, shutting out the Lightning while holding them to three shots on net with the extra attacker. The Bruins have now disposed of 17 consecutive short-handed situations without allowing a goal. Boston began the third period a man short for 1:35. Lindback finished with 22 saves as his record went to 7-4-1. Boston (10-2-2) moves on to face the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Tampa Bay (8-7-1) heads out on a two-game road swing, beginning Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Columbus v Detroit 3-2 - The Columbus Blue Jackets turned a bad start into a good finish against their most bitter of rivals. The Blue Jackets spotted the Detroit Red Wings an early two-goal lead but rallied to tie the game before Vinny Prospal capped the comeback by scoring with 24.7 seconds left in regulation for a 3-2 victory Thursday night. The Blue Jackets' joy at beating their archrivals at Joe Louis Arena was tempered by the loss of center Artem Anisimov, who was taken from the ice on a stretcher early in the second period after his head hit the ice following a check by Detroit defenseman Kyle Quincey. The team said Anisimov never lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Quincey also left the game with an injured left ankle and did not return. Columbus trailed 2-0 2:40 into the game and entered the third period down 2-1, but tied it at 5:03 when Derek Dorsett beat Jimmy Howard for his second goal of the season. Prospal won it when he finished a superb passing play with Dorsett and James Wisniewski by beating Howard with a spinning backhander from just outside the crease to give the Blue Jackets their second victory in three meetings with the Red Wings this season. It was their first win in four games on a six-game trip, and their first road win since a 3-2 shootout victory at the Nashville Predators on opening night. The Red Wings have lost five in a row. They've also lost three of the six games this season in which they've led 2-0. Detroit's power play continues to be a problem. The Red Wings are 1-for-16 with the extra man during the losing streak. Detroit needed less than three minutes to grab a two-goal lead at even strength. Rookie Damien Brunner beat Sergei Bobrovsky 18 seconds into the game, and Valtteri Filppula scored at 2:40. But the Blue Jackets capitalized after Jordin Tootoo received an instigator penalty after a fight with Dorsett at 3:57, R.J. Umberger scored his second of the season at 4:23.

Vancouver v Dallas 4-3 - The Vancouver Canucks were determined that their three-game losing streak wasn't going to get any bigger. Third-period goals by Jason Garrison and Henrik Sedin less than two minutes apart were enough to give the Canucks a 4-3 victory against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night at American Airlines Center. Garrison broke a 2-2 tie when he beat rookie goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp with a slapper from the point at 2:32 of the final period. Sedin scored on an easy tap-in at 4:18 after he and Alexandre Burrows executed a 2-on-1 to perfection. Brenden Morrow scored an unassisted goal at 6:07 after stealing the puck from Ryan Kesler, but Cory Schneider was perfect the rest of the way, finishing with 22 saves for his fifth victory of the season. The Stars put themselves in a hole in the final minutes when Derek Roy was called for hooking with 2:01 remaining in regulation, and the Canucks successfully played keep-away in the last 60 seconds. Nilstorp made 18 saves to fall to 0-3-0 in his short career. Dallas was on the attack almost from the drop of the puck, getting its first chance 23 seconds in when a 25-foot wrister by Jaromir Jagr was denied by Schneider. But Jamie Benn gave the Stars a 1-0 lead 12 seconds later by whipping a quick wrister from just off the right post into the far side of the Canucks net. Benn saw his initial effort deflected by Vancouver's Zack Kassian but after the carom fell to his skates, he quickly converted for his fifth of the season. Vancouver tied it at 8:29 when Burrows deflected Alexander Edler's long power-play wrister into the short side. The goal came 40 seconds after Dallas rookie Reilly Smith was called for interference on Vancouver's Kevin Bieksa. The Stars reclaimed the lead when Michael Ryder beat Schneider with a 15-foot backhand 2:39 into the second period for his fifth of the season. Ryder collected a loose puck and shot across his body as he entered the left circle to end an eight-game goalless streak. But the Canucks answered again, tying the game at 7:05 when Bieksa beat Nilstorp through the five-hole with a short backhander. Dan Hamhuis fed Bieksa from behind the Canucks' net, and Bieksa dashed up the right side of the ice, broke past the defense and beat Nilstorp. Vancouver visits Nashville on Friday night in the third game of a four-game trip, while the Stars have a night off before San Jose comes to town on Saturday in the finale of a three-game homestand. Vigneault was pleased with the way his team bounced back after back-to-back shootout losses and an early goal.

Minnesota v Edmonton 3-1 - There's nothing like a game against the Edmonton Oilers to get the Minnesota Wild on track. Matt Cullen scored two goals and set up Devin Setoguchi's go-ahead score early in the third period as the Wild continued their dominance of the Oilers with a 3-1 victory at Rexall Place on Thursday night. The victory was the 11th in 13 meetings between the teams since the start of the 2010-11 season. The Wild are 41-24-4-5 all-time against the Oilers and have won six of their past seven visits to Edmonton. Minnesota came into the game having won once in its first six road games this season. Niklas Backstrom made 27 saves to improve to 23-3-1 in his career against Edmonton. The loss was the third in four games for the Oilers, who finish a five-game homestand against the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday before leaving on a nine-game road trip. Edmonton is 2-5-2 this month. The game was tied 1-1 after two periods until Cullen controlled the puck behind the Edmonton net and whipped a behind-the-back pass into the slot to Setoguchi, who quickly one-timed at 2:20 to put the Wild ahead to stay. Cullen added an insurance goal with 6:01 remaining when he steamed down right wing on a 2-on-1 break and ripped a wrist shot from the right circle over goaltender Devan Dubnyk's blocker to complete his first three-point night of the season. Edmonton's Taylor Hall ended any hope of an Oilers comeback when he was given a five-minute penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct for an open-ice collision with Cal Clutterbuck with 2:33 to go. Clutterbuck had to be helped off the ice and was unable to put weight on his left leg. Edmonton outshot Minnesota 8-3 in a lackluster first period, but the Oilers jumped in front at 12:26 of the second when Ryan Smyth celebrated his 37th birthday by whirling out from behind the net and beat Backstrom with a wraparound for his second goal of the season. The Wild got even at 15:02 when Cullen picked up a pass from Ryan Suter at the Edmonton blue line, raced past the defense and cut in front of Dubnyk before scoring on a backhander.