ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The surprising Minnesota Wild squandered a third-period lead Sunday night, but remained the only unbeaten team in the Western Conference with a 3-3 deadlock with the Edmonton Oilers.
Minnesota took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but Edmonton tied it at 3:26 on Rem Murray's first goal of the season. Defenseman Janne Niinimaa came out of the penalty box, carried the puck down the right side and threw a pass in front to Murray for the tap-in.
The Wild had two solid chances to win in overtime, but Jim Dowd missed the net on a two on one with 4:17 to go and Stacy Roest never got off a shot after breaking down the right wing on another odd-man rush.
The Oilers' best chance to extend their winning streak to five games came with 3:17 left in the extra period when Mike Comrie's point-blank shot was stopped by goaltender Manny Fernandez.
Minnesota scored on two of its first three shots on All-Star goalie Tommy Salo but could not protect the lead. Still, the Wild remained unbeaten in five games (3
2), extending the best start in their brief history. They needed 14 games to get eight points as an expansion team last season.
The single point could prove costly, however, as defenseman Brad Bombardir broke his right ankle in the third period. He was checked into the end boards by Ethan Moreau and twisted his ankle as he crumpled awkwardly to the ice.
Jochen Hecht set up a pair of goals for Edmonton, which is off to its second straight 4-1-1 start.
