With or without Jonas Brodin, the Minnesota Wild continue to be kryptonite for Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers.
The injured Wild defenseman is one of the rare blueliners in the NHL who can skate with and shut down arguably hockey’s most dangerous player. In 12 career meetings against Brodin, McDavid’s Oilers are 2-10, and McDavid has been outscored — believe it or not — 5-4 at even-strength by Brodin, the mobile yet defensive defenseman who is a plus-11 compared to McDavid’s minus-11.
The Wild’s domination of the Oilers dates back to 2005. Since the 2004-05 lockout, the Wild are 62-23-3 in 88 games against the Oilers and 30-12-2 in 44 games in Alberta’s capital.
Saturday, on Hockey Night in Canada, the Wild trounced the Oilers yet again at Rogers Place by rallying from a 2-1 deficit en route to a 7-3 beatdown.
They got points from 15 players, including the first of goalie Jesper Wallstedt’s career. Oh, and he added 39 saves — including one on a breakaway by McDavid off the hop and nine on sharp-shooter Evan Bouchard — for the impressive win after shutting out Edmonton, 1-0, on the road earlier this season.
“When you make a save on one of the best players in the world, it gives you confidence (to start a game),” said Wallstedt, who for a second consecutive game didn’t allow early goals to rattle him.
“I thought when their top lines were out there, a lot of times they were looking to make one or two more plays,” he said.
The Wild’s 66 wins and 32 road wins all-time against the Oilers are their most against any team. They’re 14-4 in their past 18 against the Oilers, and since 2010-11, they’re 38-13-1 against them overall and 21-5 at Edmonton.
Tristan Jarry was chased from the game late in the second period after allowing five goals on 20 shots. Connor Ingram gave up the last two.
Mats Zuccarello, Brock Faber, Quinn Hughes and Joel Eriksson Ek each scored a goal and an assist, while Kirill Kaprizov, Vladimir Tarasenko and Tyler Pitlick scored the other goals. Zuccarello’s goal, which came two seconds after Ryan Hartman smoked McDavid on a faceoff, was his 112th with the Wild, pushing him past Eric Staal and Hartman for 10th in team history.
Kaprizov extended his point streak to eight games (five goals, 10 assists), while Hughes extended his assist (11) and point (13) streaks to eight games, both franchise records for defensemen. He tied his career-high with a plus-4. Eriksson Ek has 22 points in his past 21 games, and Matt Boldy picked up his 300th career point.
“Special teams was huge tonight,” Faber said. “We battled through their pushes and took advantage of our opportunities. Wally played great.”
The Wild, 14-4-2 in their past 20 on the road, spent the night in Edmonton and will return to Minnesota on Sunday for a Monday night date with the Canadiens.
Wild power play clicking
The Wild’s power play connected twice for tying goals in the first period, the first one 15 seconds into the power play, the second one nine seconds into the power play.
They now have 11 power-play goals in the past eight games, including two in four of the past seven.
The Eriksson Ek goal off Hughes’ streak pass was identical to the one they teamed up on in early January in Los Angeles. The Kaprizov goal, which allowed him to hit the 30-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, came after Eriksson Ek slid Mats Zuccarello’s rebound to the backdoor for Kaprizov’s tap-in. Only Marian Gaborik has more 30-goal seasons for the Wild (five).
The Wild’s power play is now 46 for 184 (25 percent) — sixth-best in the NHL. They’ve got at least one power-play goal in 12 of the past 15 games.
The Wild also killed both Oilers power plays, and the Oilers have the league’s top power play.
“They were big,” coach John Hynes said of the Wild’s special teams. “It’s one of the things we talk about going into every game, is trying to win the special teams battle coming down the stretch. I think the last couple games we’ve been able to do that, particularly against a dynamic power play like them. We did a nice job, but the power play came up big to get us our footing in the first.”
Hughes has reinvented Wild blue line
Besides his assist, Hughes also gave the Wild a huge second-period insurance goal for a 4-2 lead when he followed his own shot off the end board and threw the carom between Jarry’s legs.
Hughes’ 29 points in 24 games since arriving in Minnesota ranks third in the NHL amongst defensemen in that span (Evan Bouchard 31, Lane Hutson 30). Faber ranks 10th with 20 points since Hughes’ arrival.
But here’s the most amazing stat: Through Dec. 13, the Wild ranked 29th in the NHL in points amongst defenseman. Since Dec. 14, their blue liners have 77 points — tops in the NHL.
“He helps drive offense and helps the tempo of the game continue to pick up,” Hynes said. “Obviously, Brock plays with him for the most part, and I think Brock’s playing at a faster pace. I just think from an offensive perspective, when he should go, when he can move it, his decisions are quick, and he’s using his skating as well.”
Depth shines in win
How balanced was the Wild’s scoring against the Oilers?
Marcus Johansson was the only forward without a point.
“We talk about being a good team, and I thought all four lines and all six D contributed,” Hynes said. “Our goaltender played well, and that’s what we needed against this team was to have a complete team game, and I think it’s good to see us be able to get some scoring throughout the lineup. That always gives you a competitive advantage.”
Most impressive was Pitlick, literally a last-minute addition to the lineup, scoring his second with his hometown Wild. Pitlick was expecting to be scratched, but Nico Sturm was sick after warmups, and Pitlick stepped in for him. Yakov Trenin moved from wing to center on the fourth line.
Zach Bogosian missed his 13th game in a row with a foot injury.