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McDavid scores twice, Oilers beat Wild 5-3 for seventh win in eight games

ST. PAUL, MN – Vasily Podkolzin scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and Connor McDavid netted two goals along with an assist as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-3 on Wednesday. The win marked their seventh victory in the last eight games.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contributed with a goal and an assist, while Zach Hyman sparked Edmonton’s comeback from a 2-0 deficit, scoring his 15th goal of the season. Goaltender Calvin Pickard made 31 saves to help secure the win.

For Minnesota, Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, and Ryan Hartman found the net, but the Wild, struggling with key injuries, lost for the third time in their last four games. Filip Gustavsson stopped 31 shots in the loss.

Boldy opened the scoring with a power-play goal 3:02 into the game, and Rossi followed with another power-play tally to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead in the first period. However, the Oilers responded quickly, with McDavid cutting the deficit in half with a power-play goal before the period ended.

Minnesota also lost forward Marcus Johansson in the second period after he was elbowed in the face by McDavid. No penalty was assessed on the play.

Edmonton’s offense continues to surge with Hyman playing well on the top line. Nugent-Hopkins has scored six goals in his last 10 games and is now skating alongside Hyman and McDavid, while Hyman has scored in two of the past three games.

The Wild are dealing with significant injuries, including the absence of leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov and key defensemen Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Brock Faber. The team has struggled in their absence, losing three of the four games Brodin and Faber have missed. Kaprizov, who missed his 10th consecutive game, has started skating again.

A key milestone in the game came when McDavid passed Jari Kurri for second place on Edmonton’s all-time points list. With 1,044 points, McDavid now trails only Wayne Gretzky (1,669) in franchise history.

Looking ahead, the Oilers will visit Colorado on Thursday, while the Wild will face the Nashville Predators on Saturday.