Wild Vault Into Northwest Division Lead With Vengeful 3-1 Win Against Oilers

St. Paul, MN (AHN) - Minnesota stepped up its scoring in the first period and held down rival Edmonton to just one goal on 33 shots as the Wild took command of the Northwest Division with a 3-1 victory at the Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday night.

The Wild managed just 21 shots against Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson but came up with three important goals, two in the first seven minutes of play. Branko Radivojevic scored first, 3:01 into the game before assisting to Sean Hill on a power play goal that pushed the Wild to a 2-0 cushion.

Brian Rolston converted his 29th goal of the season with a shorthanded shot midway in the second and Nicklas Backstrom finished 32-of-33 for the Wild, who overtook Calgary for the top spot in the division.

The win was a fitting retribution for Minnesota, which had lost three of the last four, including Monday's 5-3 rout at the Rexall Place. This time, the Oilers were silent from the onset as Backstrom had them frustrated for nearly the first 25 minutes of the game.

Edmonton, which slipped eight points out of the division lead but only three points off the eighth and final playoff shot, finally converted 4:40 in the third on an unassisted shot from Fernando Pisani.

Minnesota has four more games remaining on the schedule, with three coming in at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild battle Vancouver on Friday, Colorado on Sunday, Calgary next Thursday then visit the Avalanche for the finale on April 6.

The Oilers, who are trying to overtake Nashville and bump off Colorado for the eighth slot, have three games left on the road starting with a back-to-back Friday at Colorado and Saturday at Calgary.