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Wild hand Oilers 11th straight loss

Apr 1, 2011 - 6:26 AM St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Brad Staubitz was credited with the game- winner in the second period, and Minnesota kept its slim playoff chances alive with a 4-2 win over lowly Edmonton.

Antti Miettinen, Marek Zidlicky and Martin Havlat all scored a goal apiece, but the Wild still trail Chicago by eight points with five games remaining for eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Chicago also has a game in hand.

Niklas Backstrom made 33 save in the win, the team's second straight following a debilitating eight-game slide.

Linus Omark and Tom Gilbert each scored for the Oilers, who have lost 16 straight road games against the Wild. Nikolai Khabibulin was beaten four times on 22 shots in the loss, Edmonton's 11th in a row.

"We didn't measure up quite like we needed to," Oilers head coach Tom Renney said. "But we're not packing it in. We're not quitting."

Miettinen's tip-in on the power play 7:24 into the game was followed by Zidlicky's snap shot from in front just 35 seconds later.

"We play better when we don't have to chase," Backstrom said. "The last couple weeks have been tough ... so it's good to get a win."

Early in the second, a neutral zone turnover resulted in a rush for Minnesota and Staubitz finished it off for his second goal of the season.

Havlat's slap shot at the 13:13 mark made it 4-0.

Gilbert and Omark each scored on the man advantage. Gilbert's came with 40.7 seconds left in the middle stanza, and Omark lit the lamp with 5:16 remaining in the final period.

Game Notes

Minnesota hasn't lost when hosting Edmonton since Jan. 16, 2007...The Wild won back-to-back games for the first time since a three-game run from Feb. 9-12...The Oilers are on their longest skid since an 0-11-2 slide from Dec. 31-Jan. 30 of last season.