Oilers, Bruins Have Something to Prove : Stanley Cup: Boston remembers being swept in 1988; Edmonton wants to show it can win a title without Gretzky.

Strategically, it figures to be the Edmonton Oilers’ freewheeling offense against the Boston Bruins’ free-for-all defense when the Stanley Cup finals begin tonight at Boston Garden.

But, emotionally, this best-of-seven series will be the Sweep against the Swap.

No matter how many denials are uttered, these teams have something to prove.

The Oilers, veterans of four Stanley Cup finals during the 1980s, want to show they can win a Cup without center Wayne Gretzky, who was traded to the Kings in the summer of 1988 after leading his club to a decade of glory.

The Bruins, embarrassed by Edmonton’s sweep of the ’88 finals, want revenge.

Asked about Gretzky on Monday, Oiler captain Mark Messier bristled.

“I don’t think anybody in our dressing room has to prove anything to anybody,” he said. “Anybody who was there feels in their own mind they had a lot to do with winning those Stanley Cups. As much as Wayne did.

“That’s not to sit here and say it might not be easier with Wayne here, but we’re doing fine.”

Edmonton Coach John Muckler merely smiled when No. 99 was mentioned.

“Wayne who?” he said. “He was a great hockey player and he contributed a great deal to our past. But he doesn’t figure in our future. We’re a different hockey club now.”

And not just because of the Gretzky deal. That’s only half the story.

After the Kings sent Jimmy Carson, the rights to Martin Gelinas and three first-round draft choices along with $15 million to the Oilers for Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski, Edmonton fell apart in the playoffs last season, losing in the first round.

And the ghost of Gretzky haunted them to the end as his Kings buried the Oilers in Game 7, rallying from a three-games-to-one deficit.

Edmonton owner Peter Pocklington was hanged in effigy for parting with Gretzky, and Carson was left dangling right beside him after he made it clear he wanted no part of the Oilers.

The feeling was mutual. Last November, Carson and Kevin McClelland were sent to the Detroit Red Wings for Joe Murphy, Adam Graves, Petr Klima and Jeff Sharples. Sharples was subsequently shipped to the New Jersey Devils in March for the rights to Reijo Ruotsalainen.

“That was the turning point,” Oiler General Manager Glen Sather said of the Carson trade. “We got four guys who were happy to play for us for one guy who didn’t want to play. It was an opportunity to start fresh.”

Edmonton made the most of it, finishing second in the Smythe Division. The Oilers beat the Winnipeg Jets in seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, then had their first taste of revenge by sweeping the Kings in the second round.

Edmonton defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in six games in the Campbell Conference finals to set up this chance to regain the Cup.

The Bruins also traveled the trade route to get back to the finals.

And the Oilers played a key role.

At the end of the 1987-88 season, Edmonton traded goalie Andy Moog to Boston for, among others, goalie Bill Ranford. Both have been impressive in this year’s playoffs.

Moog has a 12-3 record, with two shutouts and a 1.92 goals-against average. Ranford is 12-5, with a shutout and a 2.92 average.

In two other deals this season, the Bruins picked up Dave Poulin and Brian Propp from the Philadelphia Flyers. The two are tied with Randy Burridge for third in the team’s postseason scoring with 13 points apiece.

“Dave has been such a key player for us,” defenseman Ray Bourque said. “Nobody saw a lot here when the year began, but we proved a lot of people wrong.”

After finishing with the best regular-season mark in the NHL, 46-25-9, the Bruins--like the Oilers--started slowly in the playoffs. Boston lost the first two games to the Hartford Whalers in the opening series before winning in seven games.

Boston has lost only once since, beating the Montreal Canadiens in five games and the Washington Capitals in four. Washington scored six goals in the series.

Boston has given up only 39 goals in 16 postseason games, an average of fewer than 2 1/2 a game. The Bruins have scored 54.

Edmonton has used its speed to score 73 goals in 17 games. The Oilers have given up 52.

But Boston Coach Mike Milbury doesn’t necessarily believe that this series boils down to the Oilers’ offense against his defense.

“They may be freewheeling, but they can check, too,” he said. “And people think that all we can do is dump and chase, but we can run some plays.”

The Bruins knew they had to become more versatile to get back to the finals, but even Harry Sinden, team president and general manager, acknowledged that he didn’t think it would happen this fast.

“At the start of the (season), I don’t think we expected to be here, but now, the reality is, we’ve got a shot,” he said.

And, like the Oilers, a point to prove.