Stanley Cup : Oilers Within One Victory of Repeating

Some quick-thinking Philadelphia Flyer fans reportedly had started planning a victory parade after the Flyers beat the Edmonton Oilers in the first game of the Stanley Cup finals last week.

But now it looks as if the Stanley Cup parade will be held on Jasper Street in downtown Edmonton instead of Broad Street in Philadelphia.

Wayne Gretzky scored two power play goals to lead the Oilers to a 5-3 win over the Flyers Tuesday night in the fourth game of the Stanley Cup final before a sellout crowd of 17,498 at the Northlands Coliseum.

The fans chanted: “The Cup Stays Here” late in the third period, and it looks as if it will.

The Oilers, who have beaten the Flyers three straight times to take a 3-1 lead in the series, need just one more victory to capture their second consecutive National Hockey League championship.

The fifth game will be played here Thursday night. The Oilers have won 15 consecutive playoff games at home dating back to the 1984 season to tie the league record set by the Montreal Canadiens from 1968-71.

“By no means have we won anything yet,” Gretzky said. “But we’re inching closer. I’m sure they’re going to be tough Thursday night, but so will we.”

Gretzky, who scored three goals in the third game of the series, scored back-to-back goals in the second and third periods. He has scored six goals in the last three games of the series after being held without a shot on goal in the first game.

The Oilers, who trailed, 3-1, just 11 1/2 minutes into the first period, scored four consecutive goals, including three on the power play, to chase Flyer goalie Pelle Lindbergh for the second consecutive game. The Oilers scored on four of six power plays.

But the turning point came when Oiler goalie Grant Fuhr stopped Flyer center Ron Sutter on a penalty shot at 8:47 of the first period. Fuhr also made another spectacular save when he stopped a breakaway by right wing Rick Tocchet in the second period.

But Fuhr’s save on Sutter’ penalty shot was the highlight of the game.

With the Oilers on a power play after Flyer defenseman Doug Crossman got a double minor for holding and unsportsmanlike conduct at 8:32, Sutter intercepted a pass and raced in on a breakaway.

But Sutter was pulled down from behind by Mark Messier in the act of shooting. And referee Kerry Fraser awarded him a penalty shot. It was only the third penalty shot ever taken in the Stanley Cup final.

However, Fuhr made a spectacular save on Sutter’s shot to rob him of a goal on the penalty shot. No one has ever scored on a penalty shot in the finals.

“It turned the game around,” Oiler Coach Glen Sather said. “If Sutter had scored that goal, we might not have caught them.

“Grant has been playing well in the playoffs. I think he beat L.A. single-handedly. He got the team going when we weren’t playing well.”

Fuhr, who has never given up a goal on a penalty shot in three chances in his career, said that Sutter didn’t try to fake him out.

“He committed himself to shoot and he just put it down the middle,” Fuhr said. “He was trying to shoot between my legs.”

Asked what he was thinking before the penalty shot, Fuhr said: “I tried not to think about it. I just waited for it to happen. I think it gave the team a boost. It was my way of contributing to the victory tonight.”

Sutter refused to talk about the penalty shot. “I have no comment,” he said.

Coach Mike Keenan said that he told Sutter to shoot between Fuhr’s legs.

“He (Fuhr) has been vulnerable down the middle, but he wasn’t tonight,” Keenan said.

There was more excitement in the first period than there is in three periods of most games.

The Flyers led, 3-2, at the end of a wide open first period.

The Flyers had started poorly in the third game of the series Saturday night, but they got off to a quick start this time, despite playing without center Tim Kerr. Kerr, the Flyers’ leading scorer, reinjured his right knee last Saturday.

“Not having Tim Kerr is like the Oilers not having Gretzky and Jari Kurri,” Keenan said.

Philadelphia scored on its second shot just 46 seconds into the game when right wing Rich Sutter took a pass from his twin brother Ron and beat Fuhr for his first goal of the playoffs.

The Oilers had their first power play of the game at 3:31 of the first period when Flyer left wing Dave Poulin got two minutes for high sticking Oiler left wing Dave Hunter.

And the Oilers cashed in on the power play to tie the score when Coffey scored on a wrist shot from just inside the blue line. It was Coffey’s 10th goal of the playoffs, the most goals ever by a defenseman in one playoff season. Bobby Orr of Boston set the mark of nine goals in 1974, and it was tied in 1978 by Boston’s Brad Park. Coffey also had two assists.

The Flyers had a five-on-three power play after Pat Hughes was called for high sticking and Messier got two minutes for slashing.

The Flyers, who failed to score on eight power plays in the third game of the series last Saturday, snapped the streak when left wing Todd Bergen scored off a feed from center Peter Zezel. Bergen beat Fuhr on his glove side at 6:38 for his fourth goal of the playoffs to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead.

Philadelphia got a shorthanded goal just after Sutter’s missed penalty shot when left wing Murray Craven scored off a cross-ice pass from Derrick Smith to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead at 11:32 of the first period.

But it was all Edmonton after that.

Notes

The other two penalty shots in the Stanley Cup final were taken by Virgil Johnson of Chicago in 1944 against Montreal’s Bill Durnan, and by Frank Mahovlich of Montreal against Chicago’s Tony Esposito in 1971. . . . Referee Andy Van Hellemond, who was scheduled to work the game, was replaced by Kerry Fraser. Van Hellemond has a bad back. . . . There is a report out of Vancouver that Canadian Olympic Coach Dave King is the leading candidate for the Canucks’ coaching job that opened up earlier this month when General Manager/Coach Harry Neale was fired. Jack Gordon, the Canucks’ assistant general manager, reportedly is set to be elevated to general manager.