Oilers tame Wild 3-1

Minnesota's Andrew Brunette watches Edmonton's Dwayne Roloson make a save at Rexall Place on January 30, 2009. Roloson made 29 such saves to secure a 3-1 win over the Wild. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

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GAME CENTRE

Pre-Game Info Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Video interviews Audio Interviews In-Game Audio Sheldon Souray after the first period Robert Nilsson talks to Dan Tencer during the second intermission In-Game Video Watch Hemsky's Goal Watch Moreau's Goal Watch Visnovsky's Goal Photo Gallery Click here for the photo gallery Post-Game Video Watch tonight's video highlights   Post-game comments from Ethan Moreau, Steve Staios, Steve MacIntyre, Dwayne Roloson & Craig MacTavish Post-game comments from the Minnesota Wild Post-Game Podcast Andrew Cogliano Steve MacIntyre Ethan Moreau Dwayne Roloson Steve Staios Craig MacTavish Three Stars Dwayne Roloson, EDM - 29 saves for 16th win of the season. Andrew Cogliano, EDM - Two assists, including set-up on game-winner. Steve Staios, EDM - Three blocked shots + one fight. Update With the win, Edmonton improves to 25-20-3 and moves into a four-way tie with Columbus, Phoenix, and Anaheim for fifth spot in the Western Conference. What's Next Edmonton continues their six-game homestand Sunday afternoon vs. Nashville. Game time is 12:00 noon.

by Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

Goals by Ales Hemsky, Ethan Moreau, and Lubomir Visnovsky, along with a 29-save performance from Dwayne Roloson, propelled the Oilers to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Minnesota Wild Friday night.

FIRST PERIOD

Just over a minute into the game, Edmonton's Steve Staios clobbered Minnesota's Stephane Veilleux at center ice, prompting quick retaliation from bruiser Cal Clutterbuck. The ensuing battle between Staios and Clutterbuck sent the crowd into a frenzy and ultimately both players to their penalty boxes for fighting. Watch Staios' hit and fight

At the six-minute mark, the Oilers re-ignited their fans by lighting the lamp. From behind Niklas Backstrom's net, Ales Hemsky sent the puck out front and saw it bounce off a skate and across the line to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead. Watch Hemsky's Goal

A hooking penalty to Ethan Moreau shortly after the goal offered the Wild the game's first powerplay, but the visitors were unable to beat Dwayne Roloson despite assuming the shot-lead on the man-advantage.

As the period passed its midway point, Minnesota's Nick Schultz plowed Hemsky into the boards, prompting an angry response from the crowd and the Oilers alike. Schultz earned a boarding penalty for his actions while Hemsky was helped back to the bench by trainer Ken Lowe.

Although the Oilers couldn't find the back of the net on the man-advantage, Moreau made it happen with three minutes left on the clock. After receiving a bang-on pass from Andrew Cogliano, the Captain fooled Backstrom with an unassuming snapshot to notch his 100th Oilers goal and put the club up 2-0. Watch Moreau's Goal

On the following face-off, fans were treated to another exciting event: Steve MacIntyre's first fight since returning from injury five games ago. After dropping their gloves and thoroughly scoping eachother out, MacIntyre and Derek Boogaard clashed and traded punches in the neutral zone. The Oilers enforcer finished the fight with a smile on his face -- a sentiment shared by the rest of the team when they finished the first period with a 2-0 lead.

630 CHED's Dan Tencer talks to Sheldon Souray in the first intermission.

SECOND PERIOD

Three minutes into the middle frame, Lubomir Visnovsky made it 3-0. After skating up the slot and firing a wrist-shot on Backstrom, the veteran blueliner caught his own rebound and backhanded it into the net to register his eighth goal of the season. Watch Visnovsky's Goal

Following the goal, the Wild pulled Backstrom in favour of Josh Harding and then took back-to-back penalties. Although the home team couldn't get the best of the fresh goalie, the man-advantages helped them carry a 20-12 shot lead into the latter half of the game.

After a third consecutive Wild penalty, Roloson drew his share of praise from Oilers fans. As Marek Zidlicky burst out of the penalty box, he snagged the puck and surged up on a breakaway. Roloson stepped up and made a big save with his shoulder to keep the Wild off the board heading into the third period.

Tencer talks to Robert Nilsson after 40 minutes.

THIRD PERIOD

Although Roloson's shoulder stopped one of the last shots of the second, it couldn't do the same for the first shot of the third. 38 seconds into the final frame, Roloson caught a piece of James Sheppard's slapshot but the puck trickled over his shoulder and into the net to get the Wild within two.

A pair of Oilers penalties helped the Wild control the play and attain 30 shots in the tail end of the third. But Roloson kept six Wild skaters from forcing extra time, backstopping the Oilers to a 3-1 win Friday night.