Wild: A well-oiled machine

Niklas Backstrom and the Wild yet again had little difficulty dispatching the Oilers, shutting out Edmonton for the fourth time in five meetings.

By Michael Russo, Star Tribune

Last update: October 10, 2007 - 11:49 PM

Dwayne Roloson, the beloved ex-Wild netminder, was named an honorary member of the St. Paul Police Department during a Tuesday gala.

But even if Roloson stood in Edmonton's net with a badge, nightstick, gun and Taser, the new sheriff in town wasn't going to be able to handcuff his old teammates Wednesday night.

The Wild has had its way with the Oilers the past two seasons, and Wednesday was no different, as Minnesota shut out Edmonton for the fourth time in five meetings. The 2-0 victory completed a 3-0 homestand to start the 2007-08 campaign.

Remember the days when the Oilers used to treat the Wild as patsies? It took Minnesota three seasons to beat Edmonton for the first time.

"Did we ever struggle at the start against them?" Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "I remember a lot of games, we had the lead in the second period, the third period, and always something happened where they came back and we lost the game."

Now, the Wild has won six in a row and 13 of 16 over Edmonton. And no NHL goalie has been a bigger Oilers killer than Niklas Backstrom, who has a shutout streak of 183 minutes, 57 seconds against them.

Wednesday, Backstrom made 21 saves for his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career.

"It's always fun to play them," Backstrom said of the Oilers. "This is one of our biggest opponents. We have to play them tough."

Defenseman Brent Burns scored his second consecutive winner, Pavol Demitra also scored and Marian Gaborik set up both goals as the Wild, which began last season 6-0, prepares to depart Xcel Energy Center and embark on its first road trip -- a mother-son excursion to Phoenix, Anaheim and Los Angeles.

"We talked before the season that we wanted to have the same start as last year," Demitra said. "It's huge. We're in a tough division with so many good teams fighting for playoff spots. You want to grab as many points as you can."

Wednesday marked the anticipated NHL debut of 19-year-old Wild center James Sheppard. He started on the fourth line but finished on the second line, seeing significant shifts in the third period.

"I was nervous walking through the hallway and seeing all the fans, but once I got playing, everything flies out of your mind," Sheppard said.

Lemaire said Sheppard "was not out of place" but needs to play higher in the offensive zone.

"He has a tendency of leading all the time and if the pass doesn't come, he's out of position," Lemaire said.

Defenseman Kurtis Foster also returned from a groin injury to make his season debut. To make room, Keith Carney -- the 37-year-old, 16-year veteran who is 41 games from 1,000 and who has played 80-plus games in eight of his past 11 seasons -- was a healthy scratch.

"We've got the bodies here, and when [Sean] Hill comes back [Nov. 18], they'll be maybe two unhappy [defensemen] every game," Lemaire said. "The best will be in the lineup."

It wasn't shocking that Burns scored the game's opening goal. Roloson's positioning was fouled up because he twice had to react to what he thought would be shots. Burns got the puck on top of the right circle because Demitra and Wes Walz each swung and missed at Gaborik's pass.

"I didn't see anything. I wasn't even looking at the net," Burns said.

Said Roloson, "It went through three or four guys."

Michael Russo • mrusso@startribune.com

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