Wild turns tables on Oilers, regains first place

Monday night in Edmonton, Wild players spent so much time chasing the backs of forwards, it would be amazing if they didn't memorize all the Oilers' jersey numbers.

But two nights later the Wild regrouped, kept those same young, speedy forwards in front and regained first place in the Northwest Division with a bounceback 3-1 victory.

"I know a lot was made of that game in Edmonton. We were on our heels, we didn't look good, we didn't have the energy. But we put that one behind us and came out with a big effort," said Brian Rolston, whose 33rd career shorthanded goal gave the Wild a 3-0 lead going into the third period.

"That team is fighting for their life, and we caught them on a big night in Edmonton. Tonight was a different story."

The Oilers had several chances. They hit five posts, and Niklas Backstrom, 9-0 lifetime against Edmonton, made 32 saves for his 30th victory, tying Manny Fernandez's team record.

But the Wild did a solid job in the neutral zone, holding the Oilers to one odd-man rush -- a Jarret Stoll, second-period breakaway -- after giving up three odd-man rushes in the first five minutes Monday.

"We talked about it all day," said Branko Radivojevic, who scored a goal and assisted on Sean Hill's first-period winner.

"We did good adjustments. We caught their speed in the neutral zone."

Added defenseman Martin Skoula: "The other night we made bad [line] changes, plus we didn't have the legs. Today, we made sure we didn't give them any chances for free."

Mikko Koivu registered the third three-assist game of his career as the Wild, winners of three in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 28-Dec. 2, jumped one point over idle Calgary. The Oilers' fourth loss in 16 games hurt their playoff hopes; they're three points behind eighth-place Vancouver with four games left, and Vancouver has a game in hand.

"Huge game," Rolston said. "Puts us back where we want to be, and the next game gets bigger, and the next game gets bigger, and the next game gets bigger."

Marian Gaborik set up Radivojevic's third goal in five games by lifting Ales Hemsky's stick, triggering a two-on-one and 1-0 lead.

After Rolston drew a hooking minor, Hill, who's twice scored 13 goals in a season, registered the sixth two-game goal streak of his career and first since March 2004.

Radivojevic fed Koivu at the side of the net, but with Dwayne Roloson on him, Koivu fed Hill inside the circle for a one-timer and his second power-play goal in his past 190 games.

"I don't like to compare guys, but Mikko had eyes on that play, kind of like [Hall of Famer] Ronnie Francis did," Hill said.

In the second, the Oilers hit four posts, the most dangerous when Sam Gagner snagged Nick Schultz's errant pass between the circles.

But the Wild's penalty kill -- 6-for-6 -- connected for a 3-0 lead. Koivu kicked the puck out of the defensive zone for an odd-man rush and fed Rolston, who led the league with nine shorties in 2001-02, for his 29th goal. The Wild had been tied for last in the NHL with two shorthanded goals.

"It was nice to have that cushion, I'll tell you that," said Rolston, referring to Fernando Pisani's goal in the third.

Added Koivu: "It's important how you respond. [Monday's rout] happened. But the effort we gave tonight shows us a lot of character."