ST. PAUL, MN – Andrew Mangiapane broke a 21-game scoreless streak, and Connor McDavid netted his 22nd goal of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Edmonton Oilers fell 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday at Grand Casino Arena, concluding a five-game road trip.
The Wild jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage in the first period, courtesy of two goals from Matt Boldy. Mangiapane’s goal, which marked his first since November 3, along with McDavid’s power-play goal at 5:09 later, evened the score at 2-2. However, Ryan Hartman quickly responded for Minnesota, scoring just eight seconds before the first intermission to restore their lead.
“It was a close battle,” Mangiapane reflected. “We got up and down the ice the whole night. We did a good job fighting back from being down 2-0, but it’s tough to let one slip there. Thankfully, we play tomorrow to get right back at it.”
The second period ended without any scoring, but Vladimir Tarasenko found the net early in the third, pushing the Wild’s lead to 4-2. Nico Sturm sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute, marking Minnesota’s seventh consecutive win.
McDavid’s goal also extended his impressive point streak to nine games, with a total of 11 goals and 12 assists during this span. Leon Draisaitl contributed with two assists, bringing his tally to seven assists over a three-game stretch. In net, Calvin Pickard stopped 32 of 36 shots, as the Oilers faced their second loss against the Wild this season, following a previous shutout on December 1.
Despite the outcome, the Oilers finished their road trip with a respectable 3-2-0 record and are set to return home for a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night.
“I thought we played pretty good hockey in four of them, and we showed our capability against Minnesota in both games,” remarked Head Coach Kris Knoblauch. “It’s disappointing not to see points on the board after those efforts, but I was pleased with the effort from the guys.”