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Deadspin | Wild use strong 2nd period to blow past Oilers

Deadspin | Wild use strong 2nd period to blow past Oilers

Jan 31, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Minnesota Wild celebrate a goal scored by defensemen Quinn Hughes (43) during the second period against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild thumped the host Edmonton Oilers 7-3 on Saturday night to complete a sweep of the three-game season series between the clubs.

Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello, Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber each scored and added an assist for the Wild, who have won three straight and improved to 4-0-1 in their last five games.

Kirill Kaprizov, Vladimir Tarasenko and Tyler Pitlick also found the back of the net for Minnesota, which is now 14-4-0 in its last 18 against Edmonton. Jesper Wallstedt made 39 saves.

Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic scored for the Oilers, who saw their season-high three-game win streak snapped in the loss.

Tristan Jarry stopped 15 shots before being replaced by Connor Ingram, who made seven saves.

The Wild scored three unanswered in the second after the teams were tied at 2 through 20 minutes.

Minnesota took its first lead of the night 35 seconds into the period as Zuccarello snapped in a shot off a Ryan Hartman faceoff win.

Hughes doubled the Wild’s lead at 12:29, batting home his own rebound off the end boards between the pads of Jarry.

Minnesota took a 5-2 lead as Tarasenko snapped home a Marcus Foligno pass from the middle of the left circle with 4:20 left in the second.. The goal ended Jarry’s night after he allowed five tallies on 20 shots.

Draisaitl opened the scoring at 3:16 of the first, snapping a shot from the slot blocker side past Wallstedt.

Minnesota netted the equalizer three minutes later on a power play as Eriksson Ek beat Jarry on a breakaway. With the assist, Hughes has a helper in eight straight games – the longest assist streak by a defenseman in Wild history.

Edmonton restored its lead 1:46 later as Connor McDavid’s pass directed off Nugent-Hopkins’ skate and in.

Kaprizov tied it 2-2 on a power play with 36 seconds remaining in the opening frame, tapping in an Eriksson Ek cross-crease pass.

Pitlick gave the Wild a 6-2 lead at 9:42 of the third, one-timing a Yakov Trenin pass into the net.

Edmonton cut into Minnesota’s lead at 12:43, as Roslovic tapped in the rebound off Darnell Nurse’s wraparound attempt.

Faber gave the Wild a 7-3 cushion, snapping a shot past Ingram at 14:17 of the third.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Wild #strong #2nd #period #blow #Oilers

To lose the first three games in an IPL season is a hellish scenario. But it is not quite a death-knell. Mumbai Indians lost its first four matches in 2015, and still won the trophy. In 2024, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won just one of its first eight fixtures, and yet made it to the playoffs.

But for the Chennai Super Kings faithful, these will bring little succour, for it is not just about the defeats but the manner of them. CSK lost to Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets, to Punjab Kings by five, and to RCB by 43 runs. In the T20 universe, these are like distances between the earth and the moon.

“It was a tough night,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said after Sunday’s loss to RCB. “We did some good things early on, but unfortunately lost our shape at the back end. We got a little bit shell-shocked and that flowed through into the early parts of our batting as well.

READ | 14 defeats in 22 matches: Does CSK have a captaincy conundrum or will its ethos prevail?

“Against a hitter like Tim David (70 n.o. from 25 balls), you’ve got to be absolutely spot on. We missed, and got hurt in the hardest of fashions.”

This season, CSK has bet big on young batters like Kartik Sharma (19), Prashant Veer (20) and Ayush Mhatre (18), and Fleming was confident that their potential will eventually shine through.

“It’s going to be a really good core of Indian batters. You’re going to get a bit of inconsistency and also some brilliance. It’s a high octane pace and there are going to be some speed wobbles. It’s about marrying skill with a bit of game sense, and that does take time.”

Published on Apr 06, 2026

#IPL #Fleming #exercises #caution #backs #CSKs #young #batting #core #shine">IPL 2026: Fleming exercises caution, backs CSK’s young batting core to shine  To lose the first three games in an IPL season is a hellish scenario. But it is not quite a death-knell. Mumbai Indians lost its first four matches in 2015, and still won the trophy. In 2024, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won just one of its first eight fixtures, and yet made it to the playoffs.But for the Chennai Super Kings faithful, these will bring little succour, for it is not just about the defeats but the manner of them. CSK lost to Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets, to Punjab Kings by five, and to RCB by 43 runs. In the T20 universe, these are like distances between the earth and the moon.“It was a tough night,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said after Sunday’s loss to RCB. “We did some good things early on, but unfortunately lost our shape at the back end. We got a little bit shell-shocked and that flowed through into the early parts of our batting as well.READ  |  14 defeats in 22 matches: Does CSK have a captaincy conundrum or will its ethos prevail?“Against a hitter like Tim David (70 n.o. from 25 balls), you’ve got to be absolutely spot on. We missed, and got hurt in the hardest of fashions.”This season, CSK has bet big on young batters like Kartik Sharma (19), Prashant Veer (20) and Ayush Mhatre (18), and Fleming was confident that their potential will eventually shine through.“It’s going to be a really good core of Indian batters. You’re going to get a bit of inconsistency and also some brilliance. It’s a high octane pace and there are going to be some speed wobbles. It’s about marrying skill with a bit of game sense, and that does take time.”Published on Apr 06, 2026  #IPL #Fleming #exercises #caution #backs #CSKs #young #batting #core #shine

14 defeats in 22 matches: Does CSK have a captaincy conundrum or will its ethos prevail?

“Against a hitter like Tim David (70 n.o. from 25 balls), you’ve got to be absolutely spot on. We missed, and got hurt in the hardest of fashions.”

This season, CSK has bet big on young batters like Kartik Sharma (19), Prashant Veer (20) and Ayush Mhatre (18), and Fleming was confident that their potential will eventually shine through.

“It’s going to be a really good core of Indian batters. You’re going to get a bit of inconsistency and also some brilliance. It’s a high octane pace and there are going to be some speed wobbles. It’s about marrying skill with a bit of game sense, and that does take time.”

Published on Apr 06, 2026

#IPL #Fleming #exercises #caution #backs #CSKs #young #batting #core #shine">IPL 2026: Fleming exercises caution, backs CSK’s young batting core to shine

To lose the first three games in an IPL season is a hellish scenario. But it is not quite a death-knell. Mumbai Indians lost its first four matches in 2015, and still won the trophy. In 2024, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won just one of its first eight fixtures, and yet made it to the playoffs.

But for the Chennai Super Kings faithful, these will bring little succour, for it is not just about the defeats but the manner of them. CSK lost to Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets, to Punjab Kings by five, and to RCB by 43 runs. In the T20 universe, these are like distances between the earth and the moon.

“It was a tough night,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said after Sunday’s loss to RCB. “We did some good things early on, but unfortunately lost our shape at the back end. We got a little bit shell-shocked and that flowed through into the early parts of our batting as well.

READ | 14 defeats in 22 matches: Does CSK have a captaincy conundrum or will its ethos prevail?

“Against a hitter like Tim David (70 n.o. from 25 balls), you’ve got to be absolutely spot on. We missed, and got hurt in the hardest of fashions.”

This season, CSK has bet big on young batters like Kartik Sharma (19), Prashant Veer (20) and Ayush Mhatre (18), and Fleming was confident that their potential will eventually shine through.

“It’s going to be a really good core of Indian batters. You’re going to get a bit of inconsistency and also some brilliance. It’s a high octane pace and there are going to be some speed wobbles. It’s about marrying skill with a bit of game sense, and that does take time.”

Published on Apr 06, 2026

#IPL #Fleming #exercises #caution #backs #CSKs #young #batting #core #shine
Deadspin | Robert Thomas’ hat trick helps Blues beat Avs, continue playoff push  Apr 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jonathan Drouin (92) attempts a shot against Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (39) in the first period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images   Robert Thomas completed his first career hat trick with a tiebreaking goal late in the third period to lead  the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Sunday night.  St. Louis (33-31-12, 78 points) moved within three points of Nashville for the second and final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and prevented Colorado from clinching the No. 1 seed.  Jimmy Snuggerud assisted on all three goals, Dylan Holloway added two assists and Joel Hofer made 26 saves for the Blues.  The Avalanche (50-16-10, 110 points), who remain highly likely to win the Presidents’ Trophy, can clinch the West’s top seed Tuesday night with a win at St. Louis or a Dallas regulation loss vs. Calgary.  With the game tied, the Blues got an odd-man rush with Holloway carrying the puck down the right side and into the Colorado zone. Thomas went to the far side of the crease and tapped in Holloway’s pass with 2:50 remaining.  The Avalanche pulled goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood soon after Gabriel Landeskog’s slashing penalty put them on the penalty kill for the final 1:54.   Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, Parker Kelly also scored and Blackwood turned away 25 shots for the Avalanche.  Colorado appeared to strike first when Ross Colton knocked a puck out of midair and into the net early in the first period. The goal was disallowed after St. Louis successfully challenged the play was offside.  St. Louis opened the scoring when Blackwood made a save on an initial shot but the puck went out to Snuggerud in the right circle, who fed Thomas in the slot. His wrister beat Blackwood on the short side at 12:01 of the first period.  The Avalanche leveled the score when Kelly tipped Burns’ shot from the point at 15:10 of the first to become the sixth Colorado player to reach 20 goals this season.  Burns briefly gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead at 3:40 into the second period, but Thomas scored his second of the night 29 seconds later to even it again.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Robert #Thomas #hat #trick #helps #Blues #beat #Avs #continue #playoff #pushApr 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jonathan Drouin (92) attempts a shot against Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (39) in the first period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Robert Thomas completed his first career hat trick with a tiebreaking goal late in the third period to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Sunday night.

St. Louis (33-31-12, 78 points) moved within three points of Nashville for the second and final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and prevented Colorado from clinching the No. 1 seed.

Jimmy Snuggerud assisted on all three goals, Dylan Holloway added two assists and Joel Hofer made 26 saves for the Blues.

The Avalanche (50-16-10, 110 points), who remain highly likely to win the Presidents’ Trophy, can clinch the West’s top seed Tuesday night with a win at St. Louis or a Dallas regulation loss vs. Calgary.

With the game tied, the Blues got an odd-man rush with Holloway carrying the puck down the right side and into the Colorado zone. Thomas went to the far side of the crease and tapped in Holloway’s pass with 2:50 remaining.


The Avalanche pulled goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood soon after Gabriel Landeskog’s slashing penalty put them on the penalty kill for the final 1:54.

Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, Parker Kelly also scored and Blackwood turned away 25 shots for the Avalanche.

Colorado appeared to strike first when Ross Colton knocked a puck out of midair and into the net early in the first period. The goal was disallowed after St. Louis successfully challenged the play was offside.

St. Louis opened the scoring when Blackwood made a save on an initial shot but the puck went out to Snuggerud in the right circle, who fed Thomas in the slot. His wrister beat Blackwood on the short side at 12:01 of the first period.

The Avalanche leveled the score when Kelly tipped Burns’ shot from the point at 15:10 of the first to become the sixth Colorado player to reach 20 goals this season.

Burns briefly gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead at 3:40 into the second period, but Thomas scored his second of the night 29 seconds later to even it again.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Robert #Thomas #hat #trick #helps #Blues #beat #Avs #continue #playoff #push">Deadspin | Robert Thomas’ hat trick helps Blues beat Avs, continue playoff push  Apr 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jonathan Drouin (92) attempts a shot against Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (39) in the first period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images   Robert Thomas completed his first career hat trick with a tiebreaking goal late in the third period to lead  the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Sunday night.  St. Louis (33-31-12, 78 points) moved within three points of Nashville for the second and final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and prevented Colorado from clinching the No. 1 seed.  Jimmy Snuggerud assisted on all three goals, Dylan Holloway added two assists and Joel Hofer made 26 saves for the Blues.  The Avalanche (50-16-10, 110 points), who remain highly likely to win the Presidents’ Trophy, can clinch the West’s top seed Tuesday night with a win at St. Louis or a Dallas regulation loss vs. Calgary.  With the game tied, the Blues got an odd-man rush with Holloway carrying the puck down the right side and into the Colorado zone. Thomas went to the far side of the crease and tapped in Holloway’s pass with 2:50 remaining.  The Avalanche pulled goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood soon after Gabriel Landeskog’s slashing penalty put them on the penalty kill for the final 1:54.   Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, Parker Kelly also scored and Blackwood turned away 25 shots for the Avalanche.  Colorado appeared to strike first when Ross Colton knocked a puck out of midair and into the net early in the first period. The goal was disallowed after St. Louis successfully challenged the play was offside.  St. Louis opened the scoring when Blackwood made a save on an initial shot but the puck went out to Snuggerud in the right circle, who fed Thomas in the slot. His wrister beat Blackwood on the short side at 12:01 of the first period.  The Avalanche leveled the score when Kelly tipped Burns’ shot from the point at 15:10 of the first to become the sixth Colorado player to reach 20 goals this season.  Burns briefly gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead at 3:40 into the second period, but Thomas scored his second of the night 29 seconds later to even it again.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Robert #Thomas #hat #trick #helps #Blues #beat #Avs #continue #playoff #push

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