• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Northwest-leading Wild look to stay ahead vs. Oilers

Feb 12, 2008 - 3:40 PM Minnesota (32-20-4) at Edmonton (25-27-5) 9:00 pm EST

EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) - Clinging to a three-point lead in the Northwest Division, the Minnesota Wild can ill afford to lose to the division's worst team.

The Wild will be gunning for their third straight win when they visit the lowly Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Minnesota needed extra hockey to win win two games over the weekend, earning a 4-3 overtime win against the New York Islanders on Saturday and a 2-1 shootout win at the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.

Defenseman Brent Burns played the hero in both contests, tallying the overtime winner on Saturday and beating All-Star Manny Legace in the sixth round of the shootout to clinch Sunday's win. The extra two points allowed the Wild to maintain a three-point advantage over the Colorado Avalanche (30-21-5) in the Northwest Division standings.

Josh Harding got his first start in goal since January 22 on Sunday and made 20 saves in relief of regular netminder Niklas Backstrom, who is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts.

The Oilers are mired in the Northwest cellar and have lost seven of their last 11 games. Center Shawn Horcoff, who leads Edmonton with 21 goals and 50 points is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery on February 1.

The Wild have won four of the five meetings between the teams this season, including a 5-4 overtime win on December 29 in which Burns forced the extra session with a third-period tally and Petteri Nummelin won it in overtime.