BLOG: Oilers' special teams shine against Wild on Bouchard's special night

EDMONTON, AB – That’s how you light the candle.

On a special night celebrating Evan Bouchard's 27^th birthday, it was the special teams of the Edmonton Oilers that struck three times on the power play and earned three stops on the penalty kill to guide them to a 4-3 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, solidifying the extra point in a huge victory to open a difficult five-game homestand at Rogers Place.

Getting pushed to the limit by one of the Western Conference’s top-performing teams in the Wild, who’d won four of their last five games, both sides of the Oilers’ special teams came up with huge contributions to continue their own red-hot start to the 2026-27 season with back-to-back wins and seven of their past eight.

There were plenty of unsung moments, Devon Levi’s critical saves on Quinn Hughes and Joel Eriksson Ek, to name a few, but when push came to shove, special teams was what led them to victory against an opponent that’s always been a tough out.

Edmonton’s penalty kill limited Minnesota’s second-ranked power play over its three chances, while the power play took over when it needed to – including on Bouchard’s decisive winner with 1:28 left in overtime after the Wild fought back with two goals in the third period before leaving the Oilers an opening with a careless too-many-men penalty.

“When two good teams like that go at it, a lot of times, the special teams are what decides and makes a difference,” said Leon Draisaitl. “I think both sides were really strong tonight, and it ended up winning us the game.”

With the Oilers trailing and on a five-on-three power play late in the first, Draisaitl delivered the equalizer with 2.7 seconds on the clock, then netted his team-leading eighth goal 1:06 later on the other side of the intermission for the 2-1 lead.

Before the Wild battled back at even strength in the third, it was Edmonton’s turn to kill off a five-on-three midway through the middle frame, doing so beautifully by stonewalling one of the League’s top units,

After giving up two on the power play last time out on home ice against the Utah Mammoth, the Oilers’ penalty kill has pitched in with two clean games without allowing a goal, a trend that reflects their commitment to an aggressive style this year.

“I just thought the last two games it was coming, but we keep giving up the odd goal,” Head Coach Mike Babcock said. “I thought the last two games against two really good power plays, we were way more assertive.”

When the break came in overtime on Hughes’ too-many-men penalty, that’s all the Oilers needed to give Bouchard his cake – and let him eat it, too – with a snapshot under the crossbar on Jesper Wallstedt that capped off a special night for No. 2 and the special teams.

“They just keep coming, and they know it's a patient game, and you just keep plugging away, and you're going to get a break,” Babcock said. “And these guys are going to make their own breaks anyway, and you saw that on the power play.”