Flyers Should Be Favorites, Oiler Coach Says : But Don’t Expect Edmonton to Just Hand Over the Stanley Cup to Philadelphia

The Edmonton Oilers, who open defense of their Stanley Cup championship here tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, are the underdogs in the best-of-seven series, their coach says.

Glen Sather wasn’t laughing when he said it, either.

“If I were an oddsmaker, I’d say that we are the underdogs because they beat us all three times this year,” Sather said. “I guess we fear their entire team, plus the building (the Spectrum). I’m sure the fans will be more controlled here than they were in (Chicago). They threw nickels, cigarette lighters and beer at us.”

The young Flyers compiled the best record in the National Hockey League during the regular season with 113 points. The Oilers were second with 109. The Flyers also are 7-0-1 in their last eight games against the Oilers, and beat them three times this season.

But logic and history--not to mention Wayne Gretzky--say that the Oilers should keep the cup.

Edmonton is making its third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup final. The Oilers lost to the New York Islanders in 1983, then came back to end the Islanders’ four-year reign last season. It was only the second time in the last 18 years that the defending Stanley Cup champion has lost in the final.

Asked which team he thought should be favored, Flyer General Manager Bob Clarke, who was Bobby Clarke in his playing days, said: “Obviously, the Oil Kings would be the favorite. They’re the champions.”

To win, the Flyers will have to stop Gretzky and his high-scoring teammates, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier and defenseman Paul Coffey.

In their first-round playoff series last month, the Los Angeles Kings slowed Gretzky by assigning a player to follow him wherever he went. Although they forced the Oilers into two overtime games, the Kings were eliminated in three games as goalie Grant Fuhr got hot, and Kurri and Messier picked up the offensive slack.

There has been speculation that the Flyers will assign Ron Sutter to shadow Gretzky, but Flyer Coach Mike Keenan said he hasn’t decided what strategy he’ll use against Gretzky.

Gretzky has a cold, and Sather gave him Monday afternoon off, allowing him to miss a press conference, but it would take a severe case of pneumonia to keep Gretzky out of tonight’s game.

If there’s a theme going into this series, it’s experience vs. youth.

The Flyers are the youngest team in the league with an average age of 24.3. Of the 23 players on their roster, 11 are first- or second-year players.

They also have a rookie coach in Keenan and a rookie general manager in Clarke.

Clarke, who led the Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and ‘75, retired at the end of the 1984 season to become the general manager.

Keenan, hired by Clarke last May after leading the University of Toronto to the Canadian collegiate championship, had never played or coached in the NHL until this season.

Are the Flyers in over their heads against the more experienced Oilers?

Said Flyer defenseman Brad Marsh: “Obviously, when you have been to the finals before, you’re more relaxed. We have never experienced anything like this. A lot of us are walking around pretty wide-eyed. But we have matured as a team.

“We’re enjoying it. But we now come to work at 11 in the morning for practice and 7:35 for the game.”

The Oilers, however, say that the experience factor doesn’t mean much.

“I don’t think our having been in the finals will be a big part in this series,” Edmonton defenseman Lee Fogolin said. “The Flyers play like they’re 30 years old, but they skate fast.”

The Flyers, hit hard by injuries during the playoffs, are almost back at full strength.

Tim Kerr, who led Philadelphia with 54 goals during the regular season, has been out for two weeks with a knee injury. He has been fitted with a special brace and is expected back for the series.

Kerr missed the last five games of the Flyers’ six-game Wales Conference semifinal series against Quebec with strained ligaments in his right knee.

“Tim has been skating particularly well the last two days,” Keenan said. “He’ll skate in practice Tuesday morning, and we’ll make a decision after talking to the doctors before the game.”

Center Dave Poulin, the Flyers’ captain who had been hampered by a sore knee, said he feels fine.

However, defenseman Brad McCrimmon is out with a separated shoulder suffered in the third game against Quebec.