Visiting Oilers vanquish Wild

The Edmonton Oilers ended a seven-game losing streak versus division rivals by virtue of a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Joffrey Lupul and Marc-Andre Bergeron scored power-play goals as the Oilers (22-20-4) beat an NHL Northwest Division opponent for the first time since taming the Wild 3-1 on Dec. 14.

Dwayne Roloson stopped 28 shots for the win, preserving it with a splendid glove save on Martin Skoula with 8.4 seconds left.

The win vaulted Edmonton over the Colorado Avalanche into fourth place, and to within three points of third-place Minnesota.

"It's been a while," he said. "We've got things to work on, but we'll take a win."

Lupul was credited with opening the scoring late in the first period as his shot banked off Wild defenceman Martin Skoula and by Manny Fernandez.

It was Lupul's 13th goalthis season and came with 2:29 left in the stanza.

"You need a lucky goal, sometimes, to turn a streak around," said Oilers assistant coach Craig Simpson, in place of head coach Craig MacTavish, whoremains in London, Ont., with his ailing mother.

"Lupul's goal on the power play was a bit of a lucky one and really allowed us to settle into our game a little bit more."

Bergeron made it 2-0 with his seventh on a shot from the point 11:45 into the second period.

Wes Walz later spoiled Roloson's shutout bid, potting his eighth with 7:55 remaining in the third.

Fernandez managed just 16 saves in defeat for the Wild (24-20-3), losers of three straight games at the Xcel Energy Center.

"It's tough because I feel we really, really played well for the type of team we are," Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire said. "It's too bad we had no breaks in getting goals."

Of note, four Wild skaters— Keith Carney, Todd White, Mark Parrish and Kurtis Foster — sustained injuries in the first 11 minutes of the game.

"I have never seen anything like that," Walz said. "It was like they were cutting down trees out there."

Only Carney returned, but he played sparingly because of back spasms.