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Oilers take 2-0 series lead over deflated Ducks
2006-05-22
ANAHEIM, California -- The Edmonton Oilers are two wins away from their first Stanley Cup final in 16 years after a 3-1 over the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Sunday gave them a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. The victory, in front of 17,264 fans at The Pond, gives the Oilers the chance to complete a best-of-seven series sweep on home ice. Games Three and Four will be played in Edmonton on Tuesday and Thursday. The Ducks have lost 12 consecutive games in Edmonton since 1999, but Oilers coach Craig MacTavish was wary of their form on the road. "The Ducks have played better hockey on the road in a lot of respects than what they've played at home, from what I've seen," MacTavish said. "We're very leery of their ability to win games on the road." The Oilers won on Sunday despite several players suffering from the flu. Winger Raffi Torres and defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron failed to dress for the first time in the playoffs while center Shawn Horcoff played ill. "He was the color of this sheet of paper in the final period," MacTavish said. "Seemingly, we were losing a guy every couple of hours." TERRIFIC TRADE The Oilers relied on their defense to maintain control, keeping the Ducks from getting good shooting angles. "We've been keeping them to the outside," Edmonton winger Fernando Pisani said. "We really haven't given them too many opportunities in the slot and odd-man rushes. If we continue to do that, we should have success." Veteran defenseman Chris Pronger gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead on the powerplay at 13:08 of the first period before Jeff Friesen tied the score at 6:12 of the second period. Pisani put the Oilers 2-1 up at 17:09 of the second period with his eighth goal of the playoffs, snapping a wrister over the right shoulder of Anaheim goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. Michael Peca picked up an assist on the goal, outskating Anaheim defenseman Ruslan Salei for a rebound and feeding Sergei Samsonov in the right corner. "He did a great job of drawing two guys to himself," Pisani said of Samsonov. "That just opened me up in the slot. I gave him a quick call, he passed it to me and I snapped it right away." Peca added an empty-net goal with 18 seconds to play. Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson made 33 saves for his playoff-leading 10th victory. Roloson, who arrived from Minnesota in March for a first-round draft pick, made his biggest save two minutes into the final period, blocking Chris Kunitz's breakaway shot with his left leg. "He's been terrific," MacTavish said. "It's amazing what that quality of goaltending does for your defensive zone coverage." Edmonton's penalty killers defused all five shorthanded situations they faced. The Oilers ranked third among playoff teams in penalty killing at 86.7 percent before the game.
Stanley Cup finals start tonight (2006-06-05)Oilers a win away from Stanley Cup finals (2006-05-23)Oilers take 2-0 series lead over deflated Ducks (2006-05-22)Goalies Make a Difference in Playoffs (2002-04-24)10 (11285)
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