Frederick Gaudreau was in the offensive zone before the puck, an off-side ruling that overturned the go-ahead goal for the Wild after the Oilers signaled for a video review.
Wild, Marc-Andre Fleury, hold off Edmonton behind goals from Matt Boldy, Frederick Gaudreau
Fleury made 20 saves and Boldy tallied two points and the Wild finished 2-1 against the Oilers as the two teams played three times in 12 days.
"I wasn't too proud of myself there," Gaudreau said.
But the reversal didn't sting the Wild.
Not only did Gaudreau supply another goal barely two minutes later, but he made a last-minute clear during an Edmonton power play that iced a 2-1 win on Monday in front of 17,707 at Xcel Energy Center to wrap this three-game, 12-day series vs. the Oilers with a pair of victories.
"We played our game," Gaudreau said, "and when we do that, we're a tough team to beat defensively."
Gaudreau's two-way effort epitomized the team's performance.
The Wild were opportunistic offensively, with Matt Boldy's goal and assist leading the way, but they also were attentive defensively; they had to be against a high-flying Oilers squad that upended them 5-2 Friday in Edmonton and received strong showings from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the Wild's 5-3 win on Dec. 1.
But in the rubber match, the Wild limited McDavid to a single point, an assist, while Draisaitl left the game emptyhanded.
"We liked the way the entire game went," Wild coach Dean Evason said.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves to pick up his 10th win of the season. Fleury is only the fourth goaltender in NHL history to reach double digits in victories 18 times in his career; he joined Terry Sawchuk (18), Patrick Roy (18) and Martin Brodeur (20).
"All the guys battled and blocked some shots and were aggressive on them," Fleury said. "It was a fun battle and fun to win the game."
Edmonton fell behind 12 minutes, 36 seconds into the first period on a tic-tac-toe sequence from the Wild power play: Mats Zuccarello passed off to Kirill Kaprizov, whose centering feed was redirected in by Boldy.
Zuccarello extended his point streak to seven games with the assist, and he's registered at least 20 helpers in 10 consecutive seasons. As for Boldy, this was the second straight contest he's capitalized on the power play, which finished 1-for-3.
Only 1:25 later, the Oilers converted on the power play, with Zach Hyman's backhander in front the equalizer from the NHL's No. 1 power play that went 1-for-5.
The Wild flagged the goal to check for goaltender interference, but video upheld the goal; they're 1-for-2 in coach's challenges this season and 19-for-54 all-time.
"In hindsight, we likely obviously shouldn't have [challenged]," Evason said.
The Wild appeared to move ahead in the second period on a glove-side shot by Matt Dumba that handcuffed Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner.
But the Oilers issued their own challenge, and Gaudreau was deemed off-side to overturn Dumba's tally.
Still, the Wild exited the period up a goal because at 9:39 Boldy's backhand pass landed on Gaudreau's stick for a rising shot in tight that sailed over Skinner, who totaled 28 saves.
This was Boldy's sixth multi-point effort of the season and the 15th of his career; only Marian Gaborik has more with the Wild (43) before age 22.
"Great play by Bolds," Gaudreau said. "He's just so strong, so smart. So, great play by him."
With how focused the Wild were, it's no surprise that lead held but they were tested in the third period.
There was a 3-on-1 rush that Fleury gobbled up and then that last-minute power play for Edmonton.
"We were scared to death, like scared to death," Evason said. "You give Connor McDavid and Draisaitl and the rest of their PP an opportunity, and we've seen it. We gave them three opportunities [on Friday], and they scored two goals."
Since the Oilers pulled Skinner, they set up in a 6-on-4 advantage and got two shots off before Gaudreau's clear down the ice and a Jonas Brodin block vs. McDavid.
Edmonton's 21 shots overall tied its lowest output for the season.
That other game?
The Oilers' previous loss to the Wild.
"How we played that close to a minute was great," Evason said. "Our commitment, our grit, our desire to get pucks and win those puck battles was real good."
The Wild prevailed 5-4 on Tuesday night, moving back into first place in the NHL with a hard-fought victory in their first trip to Utah. Matt Boldy scored the winner in the shootout.