STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS : Kurri’s Goal Ties Record, Beats Chicago

Jari Kurri’s record-tying playoff goal late in the second period carried the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night and to within one game of the Stanley Cup finals.

The Oilers have a 3-2 lead and can wrap up the best-of-seven Campbell Conference series Saturday night in Chicago. Awaiting the winner in the NHL championship series are the Boston Bruins, the Wales Conference champions who recently completed a sweep of the Washington Capitals.

Kurri, who has four Stanley Cup rings, broke a 3-3 tie with a power-play goal at 18:29 of the second period after the Blackhawks rallied to tie the score on goals by Trent Yawney and Denis Savard.

Kurri, taking a pass from Mark Messier, put the puck past Chicago goalie Jacques Cloutier, making his first start in the playoffs. That was Kurri’s 89th goal, tying former teammate Wayne Gretzky, on the all-time playoff list.

The Oilers took a 1-0 lead at 2:08 of the first period on a goal by Randy Gregg, who beat Cloutier from in front after taking a pass from Joe Murphy.

Craig Simpson made it 2-0 when he tipped in a shot from inside the blue line by Reijo Ruotsalainen at 12:25 while the Oilers were on the power play. The goal was Simpson’s 11th of the playoffs.

Steve Konroyd cut the Oilers’ lead to 2-1 when he redirected a pass by Steve Larmer into the lower left circle at 14:14.

But the Oilers responded with a goal 18 seconds later when Adam Graves hit a wraparound shot that bounced off the post into the net.

Chicago tied it, 3-3, on consecutive goals by Yawney and Savard in the second period.