Oilers 3, Wild 1

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -The stingy Minnesota Wild suddenly found trouble protecting a lead.

Matt Greene scored his first NHL goal and Jarret Stoll and Shawn Horcoff found the net 14 seconds apart late in the third period to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-1 comeback victory over the Wild on Thursday night.

With 4:38 remaining, Stoll picked up Marc-Andre Bergeron's blocked shot in the slot and outfought Keith Carney for the puck. He put a drive into the upper right hand corner behind goalie Manny Fernandez to give the Oilers a 2-1 lead.

Edmonton stretched its lead 14 seconds later as Horcoff stole the puck in the Minnesota zone and beat Fernandez with a backhander to make it 3-1.

The Oilers moved two points ahead of the Wild atop the Northwest Division.

"Any win against a team in our division is obviously a big one," Stoll said. "It is so tight. We got in and got the pucks. We were physical and their defense was looking over their shoulders at times.

"We had a lot of guys flying out there and though it didn't show on the scoreboard for some of them, they were doing a lot out there."

The Wild took a 1-0 advantage by connecting on their first shot of the game. Todd White showed pass but put a shot past Dwayne Roloson just under four minutes in.

"It was just a matter of time before that game went to one side or the other," Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire said. "We played good for a good part of the game but at the right time when we needed a little bit more intensity we didn't get it."

The Oilers had a great chance to tie with eight minutes gone in the second and a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:40, but Fernandez and the Minnesota penalty killers kept Edmonton from coming close.

"We capitalized and took advantage of the opportunities that we had," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "We had a real good start to the third and took the momentum of the game and it just carried through. I don't imagine they have lost too many games that they lead after the second."

Edmonton did get even 3 1/2 minutes into the third period when defenseman Greene put a deke on Fernandez and scored on a backhand.

"It's good to finally get it over with and to have that done," said Greene, who was glad the game ended in regulation. "I think I'm number 20 on the shootout list. I don't even get to play in overtime let alone a shootout."

Notes: This was the third of eight meetings between the teams this season. Minnesota was 6-2 against Edmonton last season, winning all four on the road. ... Wild C Wes Walz returned to the lineup for the first time after missing 10 games with a hip injury.