Injuries, Oilers take toll on Wild

This one hurt excruciatingly, and it had nothing to do with the Jumbotron reading Edmonton 2, Wild 1 at the end of it.

The effects of Tuesday night's painful jostle with the rival Oilers could be lasting because injuries to center Todd White and defenseman Kurtis Foster will sideline the two key players at least through next week's All-Star break.

The Wild surrendered two power-play goals, but realistically, the Wild played virtually the entire game shorthanded after seemingly player after player collapsed to the ice wounded.

At one point in the first period, it looked like the Wild installed a moving walkway from the ice to its dressing room.

"I've never seen anything like that," said 36-year-old Wes Walz, who scored the Wild's only goal in the third period. "It was like they were cutting down trees out there. We lost about four guys in six minutes.

"Usually on the bench when we have a full crew, we have to tell guys to slide right and left. There wasn't much sliding right and left tonight."

In the first 20 minutes, the Wild lost defenseman Keith Carney twice (back spasms), left wing Mark Parrish (face), White (injured right leg) and Foster ("lower body").

Carney tried to return, but that didn't last long. During his first shift back, he aggravated the injury, which played a major role in Edmonton's first goal. White and Foster never returned and won't play games this weekend against Chicago and Dallas, assistant General Manager Tom Lynn said.

The Wild's three-game winning streak came to an end and its home losing streak stretched to three games, its longest home drought since last January. Still, the Wild fought impressively and gave itself a chance when Walz one-timed Marian Gaborik's pass to cut the Oilers' lead to one goal with eight minutes left.

"We were still playing to play," left wing Brian Rolston said. "It wasn't like we were limping out there at all. I thought we carried the play the whole game."

Despite playing most the game with three forward lines and four defensemen, the Wild outshot Edmonton 29-18. Ex-Wild netminder Dwayne Roloson swallowed pucks all night with 28 saves, including clutch saves late on Gaborik, Pascal Dupuis and Martin Skoula.

The ones Roloson didn't swallow were only because the Wild missed the net 23 times -- several by inches, including pipes by Mikko Koivu, Nick Schultz and Dupuis. Edmonton players blocked 16 other Wild shots.

"No breaks whatsoever in all aspects of the game," coach Jacques Lemaire said. "We scored one in our net [Joffrey Lupul's goal off Skoula's skate]. Everything was against us, but the guys kept working."

The Oilers, who were sinking in the West and playing without their coach, Craig MacTavish, who was caring for his ailing mother, ended a seven-game losing streak to Northwest Division foes. The Wild is two points behind division leader Vancouver, while Edmonton pulled within three points of the Wild.

Marc-Andre Bergeron's second-period, power-play goal proved to be the winner after Derek Boogaard's interference penalty seconds into his second shift of the game.

With the Oilers sitting back after taking a 2-0 lead, several Wild players became overextended. With White gone and Wyatt Smith scratched, Pavol Demitra had to move from wing to center for the first time since Nov. 4. Rolston topped 23 minutes and even saw even-strength shifts on defense. Skoula again topped 28 minutes. Brent Burns topped 25.

Even rookie Shawn Belle, who played nine shifts in two games before Tuesday, logged 17-plus minutes.

Yet the Wild kept buzzing Edmonton's zone.

"Hockey's a funny game," Walz said. "We deserved to win tonight, outplayed them and lost. Four nights ago in Edmonton, we probably deserved a different fate and won."

Michael Russo • mrusso@startribune.com