National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Edmonton 6, Minnesota 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, April 26, 2013
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Paul Devorski, Tom Kowal
Linesmen: Don Henderson, Mark Shewchyk
Attendance: 19090

Oilers 6, Wild 1: Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle each had a goal and two assists as Edmonton won at Minnesota for the second time in 21 contests.

Defenseman Corey Potter and top overall pick Nail Yakupov both scored twice for the Oilers, who improved to 4-9-0 in April and denied the Wild a chance to clinch a playoff spot. Nikolai Khabibulin made 38 saves for his first win since March 26.

Captain Mikko Koivu tallied for eighth-place Minnesota, which remained even in points with the Columbus Blue Jackets with one game remaining. Niklas Backstrom was pulled after allowing three goals in five shots in the first period and Josh Harding stopped nine of 12 shots in his first action since Feb. 7.

Hall, who leads the Oilers with 14 points in April, intercepted a pass along the side boards and skated to the right faceoff dot before firing a wrist shot past Backstrom midway through the first period. Eberle set up both tallies by Potter in the opening session and made it 4-0 early in the second by beating Harding with a high wrist shot.

Yakupov added his 13th and 14th goals 3:42 apart in the second period, firing a low wrist shot from the slot and tipping Hall’s centering feed over Harding to cap the scoring for Edmonton. Koivu ended Khabibulin’s shutout bid midway through the third with a one-timer from the slot.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Yakupov has scored eight of his 14 goals in April. ... The Wild can clinch a playoff spot with a road victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. ... The Oilers are 2-17-2 in their last 21 trips to Minnesota.
Top Game Performances
 
Edmonton   Minnesota
Jordan Eberle 3 Points Mikko Koivu 1
Corey Potter 2 Goals Mikko Koivu 1
Jordan Eberle 2 Assists Charlie Coyle 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Nikolai Khabibulin .974 Save Percentage Josh Harding .750
Nikolai Khabibulin 38 Saves Josh Harding 9
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Edmonton 17 6 0-2 2-2 9 23
Minnesota 39 1 0-2 2-2 29 33
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Colorado. The Wild have a W/L % of .520 after a win and .524 after a loss.
  • Edmonton will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Oilers have a W/L % of .353 after a win and .379 after a loss.