ANAHEIM, Calif. (CP) - The Edmonton Oilers are going to the Stanley Cup final.
The Oilers used second period goals from Ethan Moreau and Raffi Torres for a 2-1 victory Saturday night that eliminated the Anaheim Mighty Ducks from the NHL playoffs.
The Oilers won the best-of-seven Western Conference final 4-1 and advance to their first Stanley Cup final in 16 years.
''I'm proud of my players for their effort,'' said Oilers coach Craig MacTavish. ''You can see in their faces how happy they are and what a sense of accomplishment they have.''
Related Info
Maggie picked Edmonton, Carolina next?
Oilers-Mighty Ducks Playoff Page
Edmonton now waits for the winner of the Eastern Conference final between the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes. That series is tied 2-2.
''It's a great feeling,'' said Oilers forward Ryan Smyth. ''Stanley Cup final has a great ring but we still have a ways to go. We'll cherish this one a bit and go from there.
''I think the depth of our team prevailed.''
Francois Beauchemin, on the power play, scored for the Ducks.
''They came in and took home-ice advantage away from us and they won all three games in our building,'' said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. ''You can't win too many playoff series like that.''
Edmonton, which began the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West, becomes the second consecutive Canadian team to play for the Stanley Cup. The Calgary Flames lost the 2004 final to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Facing extinction the Ducks buzzed around the Oilers net like angry bees in the third. The Oilers were forced to play two-men short late in the period and the Ducks pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker but couldn't score the tying goal against Dwayne Roloson.
''Obviously acquiring Dwayne at the deadline and getting that piece of the puzzle has ultimately got us to the final,'' said Oilers defenceman Chris Pronger. ''It's exciting to be a part of. I'm happy for the guys, guys that have been here for a number of years and I'm really happy for them.
''It's the first time as well for me as well.''
The Oilers trailed 1-0 after the first period but used their gritty worth ethic, and some key saves from Roloson, to climb back into the game.
Moreau tied the game at 3:42 of the second on a great individual effort. He skated behind the Ducks net and tried to jam the puck into the corner. Anaheim goaltender J.S. Giguere made the first stop but Moreau got the rebound and flipped it into the net.
Torres put the Oilers ahead on a deflection less than five minutes later. The Ducks had just managed to kill a penalty when Edmonton defenceman Marc-Andre Bergeron blasted a shot from the point that Torres, cutting in front of the net, redirected past Giguere.
The Ducks, fighting for their playoff lives, had plenty of power-play opportunities but couldn't crack the Oilers defence. Anaheim was also guilty of trying to be too fancy, often passing instead of shooting the puck.
Giguere, making his second consecutive start in goal, made some good saves but also coughed up some juicy rebounds.
The crowd at the Pond in Anaheim was announced as a sellout at 17,174 but there were many empty seats in the building.
Sensing the desperation of the situation the fans seemed louder than earlier games. A contingent of Edmonton fans could be heard chanting, ''Let's go Oilers.''
The Ducks took advantage of a hooking penalty to defenceman Jaroslav Spacek to open the scoring at 7:30 of the first period.
The Oilers penalty kill had done a good job of blocking shots and making Anaheim shoot from the outside. Finally Beauchemin, a rookie from Sorel, Que., fired a shot from just inside the blue-line that beat Roloson on the stick side.
The Oilers last played for the Stanley Cup in 1990 when they defeated the Boston Bruins in five games. That was the Oilers fifth Stanley Cup victory in seven years.
''Guys were laying down in front of shots and doing the smart thing, just getting pucks out,'' said Roloson. ''Why we're having the success that we are is because we're doing the little things.''
The Ducks staved off elimination by winning 6-3 in Edmonton on Thursday night. The only two NHL teams to battle back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series were the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders.
NOTES - The Oilers are 18-0 in series they take a 2-0 lead. ... The six goals Edmonton allowed in Thursday's loss was the most the Oilers allowed on home ice since the 1990 playoffs. ... The Oilers longest playoff winning streak is nine games in 1985.
are not hunters.
