Matt Boldy scores twice, Wild beat Oilers 5-2 for 7th straight victory

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy scored twice, Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves and the Minnesota Wild beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight victory.

Ryan Hartman, Vladimir Tarasenko and Nico Sturm also scored, Mats Zuccarello had two assists and Minnesota set a franchise record with a 14-game home points streak, going 12-0-2 at Grand Casino Arena since Nov. 1.

Gustavsson is 8-1-1 in his last 10 starts. The Wild have allowed just 11 goals during the winning streak , giving up no more than two in any game.

Connor McDavid and Andrew Mangiapane scored for Edmonton, and Calvin Pickard stopped 32 shots. The Oilers had won four of five and six of eight.

Leon Draisaitl had two assists to reach 50 points for the 11th straight season, tying Glenn Anderson and Mark Messier for the Oilers’ record.

Midway through the third period, Tarasenko scored his fourth goal in three games, poking home a puck that trickled behind Pickard to give the Wild a 4-2 lead. Sturm added an empty-netter.

It was the first goal since Minnesota led 3-2 after a frenetic opening period.

Boldy opneed the scoring at 3:42, racing in alone to score for the fourth straight game. He buried a feed from Quinn Hughes on a power play seven minutes later to make it 2-0.

Boldy has seven goals in his past eight games and has 22 overall to tie Kirill Kaprizov for the team lead. Minnesota is the only team with two 20-plus goal scorers.

Mangiapane scored on a redirect and McDavid poked in a loose puck to tie it late in the period, but Hartman finished a give-and-go with Jake Middleton with eight seconds left. McDavid has 11 goals and 12 assists in his last nine games.

Oilers: Host Vegas on Sunday night.

Wild: Host Colorado on Sunday night.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Minnesota Wild center Nico Sturm (78) and Edmonton Oilers left wing Max Jones (46) collide during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) and Edmonton Oilers center Matt Savoie (22) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) blocks a shot during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) celebrates toward left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) shoots and scores a goal past Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard (30) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he's endorsing Nassau County's Republican executive for governor in next fall's New York race, just a day after the president's longtime ally Rep. Elise Stefanik announced she was suspending her candidacy.

The endorsement, while not unexpected, could help ensure that Bruce Blakeman, who leads the suburban county on Long Island, doesn't face a serious contender in his push to win the GOP primary and a chance at a likely faceoff against incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“Bruce is MAGA all the way, and has been with me from the very beginning,” Trump said in a post announcing the endorsement on his Truth Social platform.

Stefanik announced Friday that she is suspending her campaign for governor and will not seek reelection to Congress.

The race between Stefanik and Blake had been expected to be competitive. Stefanik in announcing her decision said she wanted to avoid an “unnecessary and protracted Republican primary.”

Stefanik has been a steadfast ally of Trump, who nominated her to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations only to withdraw it because of concerns about potentially further eroding the GOP's narrow majority in the House.

Stefanik announced her decision just days after Blakeman formally announced his candidacy.

Trump on Monday, amid reports Blakeman would jump into the race, declined to take a side in the primary race when asked about Blakeman and Stefanik, instead telling reporters, “He’s great, and she’s great. They’re both great people."

Blakeman, the executive of Nassau County, has gained attention for championing a policy that bans transgender athletes from using county sports facilities. He has also created a volunteer law enforcement unit that his critics have labeled as a militia and directed county detectives to work alongside federal authorities in Trump’s immigration crackdown.

FILE - Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, at podium, speaks during a news conference in Mineola, N.Y., March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo, File)