STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS : Messier’s Big Game Gets Oilers Even

The Edmonton Oilers are Mark Messier’s team now. But they still know how to win when they have to.

Messier scored two goals and set up two more while playing what Coach John Muckler called “one of his greatest playoff games” as the Oilers beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-2, Tuesday night to even the Campbell Conference finals at two games each.

The victory enabled the Oilers to regain the home-ice advantage they yielded when they lost the second game in Edmonton. The best-of-seven series resumes Thursday night at the Northlands Coliseum and returns to Chicago Stadium on Saturday night.

“It seems that in Oiler history, when we have to win a big game, we win,” Muckler said. “This was our biggest game so far this year. Now we are back in command.”

The Oilers are even thanks to Messier, one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s regular-season most valuable player and the successor to Wayne Gretzky as team captain and top scorer.

Muckler called Messier “a dominant force and the best player on the ice by far,” but Chicago Coach Mike Keenan said Messier has the officials intimidated.

“He could have been called for 16 stick penalties,” Keenan said. “He’s getting away with too much use of the stick. He had (referee) Bill McCreary intimidated.”

Keenan yanked starting goaltender Greg Millen 11 seconds into the second period after the Oilers scored on three of their first four shots on goal. Keenan also was distraught over what he called dumb penalties.

Any hopes the Blackhawks had of making a comeback were lost when Jocelyn Lemieux drew a major penalty for boarding goalie Bill Ranford with 7:57 remaining in the third period. Lemieux blasted Ranford when the goaltender went behind the net to clear a pass.

The Oilers, sparked by Messier, made the most of their opportunities in the first period, outscoring the Blackhawks, 2-1, despite being outshot, 11-3.

Messier helped set up the game’s first goal at 15:02 of the first period, feeding Steve Smith for a slap shot from 55 feet that was tipped in by Glenn Anderson during a power play.

The Oilers’ captain, the runner-up to Gretzky in the regular-season scoring race, made it 2-0 at 17:25 when he outraced everyone for a loose puck, broke down left wing and beat Millen on a breakaway.

But Messier was called for elbowing at 18:03, and Denis Savard scored 19 seconds later to cut the lead to 2-1.

The Oilers ended Millen’s evening when Messier set up Craig Simpson, who rammed the puck into the net just before he was knocked into it himself. Millen, the winning goalie in the last two games, was yanked in favor of Jacques Cloutier.