WHAT'S NEXT
The Oilers entertain the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The game can be seen on Sportsnet West, Hockey Night in Canada, and heard on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED. Puck drop is 5:08 p.m. MT.
POST-GAME UPDATES
Inside The Oilers Blog
Draisaitl and Connor McDavid both eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the season in defeat as the Oilers lose their status of being the only team in the NHL this campaign that hadn't lost three straight games.
"We've got to dig in here," McDavid, who had a goal and assist, said post-game. "We're in a bit of a rut. It starts with the top guys and all the way through the lineup, and we've got to be better."
"We're not panicking here. Every team's gone through it. We're going through it now, and we'll find it."
A late giveaway on the boards by the Oilers was the catalyst to the Wild scoring late in the first period and taking a 2-1 lead into the intermission before Draisaitl made it six-straight games for the Oilers with a power-play goal two minutes after the break.
Soon after, true to the theme of the game, it was Marcus Foligno and Ryan Donato answering twice in succession to elevate the Wild to a two-goal advantage.
Goals from Gaetan Haas and McDavid had the Oilers level in the third period, but Eric Staal and Luke Kunin struck within 1:09 of one another to cancel out James Neal's late goal that brought the scoreline to 6-5 in his 800th NHL game.
"We just have to do a better job at shutting it down," Leon Draisaitl said. "We spend so much energy fighting back, and that's a positive that we can do that, but we do it too often and too much."
Head Coach Dave Tippett said following Tuesday's defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes that you won't win many games when you give up six goals, and the Oilers made it difficult again tonight.
