Wild tie Edmonton

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Fighting to secure a playoff berth, the Edmonton Oilers expected to get two points against the struggling Minnesota Wild.

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They barely got one.

Doug Weight scored with 48 seconds left in regulation as the Oilers scratched out a 2-2 tie against the expansion Wild on Wednesday night.

"It was a game that we desperately wanted to win," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "If experience tells you anything, nothing is ever easy. Any time your expectations are so high, and it looks like everything is stacked in your favor, experience tells you bad things can and do happen."

Sergei Zholtok won a faceoff in the Minnesota end during a power play, and Weight's slap shot deflected off Wild defenseman Filip Kuba and past goalie Jamie McLennan.

"We had 43 shots and we didn't win, so it's disappointing," Weight said. "It's a must-win game. They played an unbelievable sit-back style. We tried not to get frustrated."

Janne Niinimaa also scored for Edmonton, and Weight added his 62nd assist.

McLennan finished with 41 saves for Minnesota, winless in 12 games.

"Jamie was great," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "I think it was his best game of the year. Without him, they could've scored four or five goals easy."

The tie gave Edmonton 91 points and a one-point lead over sixth-place San Jose, two over seventh-place Los Angeles and three over both Phoenix and Vancouver in the Western Conference. Those five teams are vying for four postseason spots.

The Oilers, winless in their last four (0-2-2), have one game left. San Jose has three remaining, while Los Angeles, Phoenix and Vancouver have two each.

Edmonton concludes the regular season Saturday at Vancouver.

"We've got to get some rest as a team and come out gangbusters on Saturday," Weight said.

Pavel Patera scored his first goal of the season for Minnesota, giving the Wild a 2-1 lead at 16:48 of the second period.

Stacy Roest opened the scoring 1:43 in when he beat Oilers goalie Tommy Salo with a high shot on a power play.

"Right out of the gate, we get down 1-0 and we were playing catch-up," MacTavish said. "That's what we talked about early on this morning, that the formula for them that was going to give them success was making us play catch-up."

Salo, who finished with 17 saves, has been criticized recently for allowing some soft goals. He leads the NHL in minutes played by a goalie with 4,332.

Edmonton tied it at 1 exactly 14 minutes after Roest's goal when Niinimaa sent a wrist shot past McLennan on a power play. Eight of Niinimaa's 12 goals have come with a man-advantage.

Minnesota 1 1 0 0 -- 2

Edmonton 1 0 1 0 -- 2

First Period--1, Minnesota, Roest 7 (Kuba, Patera), 1:43 (pp). 2, Edmonton, Niinimaa 12 (Weight, Cleary), 15:43 (pp). Penalties--Grier, Edm (roughing), 1:12; Walz, Min (boarding), 9:21; Nielsen, Min (high-sticking), 14:42; Gavey, Min (goalie interference), 18:11.

Second Period--3, Minnesota, Patera 1 (Mitchell), 16:48. Penalties--Moreau, Edm (goaltender interference), 7:03; Mattucci, Min (roughing), 15:15; Smyth, Edm (roughing), 15:15; Benysek, Min (high-sticking), 17:17; Benysek, Min (interference), 19:27.

Third Period--4, Edmonton, Weight 24 (Zholtok), 19:12 (pp). Penalty--Gavey, Min (elbowing), 17:28.

Overtime--None. Penalties--Hendrickson, Min (tripping), 1:44; Weight, Edm (hooking), 4:43.

Shots on goal--Minnesota 4-9-3-3--19. Edmonton 13-11-16-3--43.

Power-play Opportunities--Minnesota 1 of 3; Edmonton 2 of 7.

Goalies--Minnesota, McLennan 4-23-9 (43 shots-41 saves). Edmonton, Salo 35-25-12 (19-17), Roussel (18:42 third, 0-0).

A--17,100 (17,100).

Referees--Bernard DeGrace, Brad Watson. Linesmen--Gerard Gauthier, Darren Gibbs.