Edmonton Puts Out Boston’s Lights in 3 OTs : Stanley Cup: Game 1 mixes a power failure with an extra 55 minutes 13 seconds of play to become the longest game ever in the final series.

They skated through 60 minutes of regulation play. They skated for 55 minutes and 13 seconds of overtime, nearly three extra periods, longer than any teams had ever skated in the Stanley Cup finals.

Nothing stopped them. Not even a power failure.

Finally, mercifully, the Edmonton Oilers’ Petr Klima ended Game 1 at Boston Garden at 1:22 Wednesday morning, five hours and 32 minutes after it had begun, by smashing the puck past defenseman Bob Sweeney and through the pads of goalie Andy Moog from the right circle.

Klima had gotten the puck on a drop pass from Jari Kurri after Craig MacTavish gained control of it from Garry Galley at mid-ice.

It was early in that third overtime that dim memories of two years ago were rekindled.

A bank of lights went out, forcing a 25-minute delay.

Game 4 of the 1988 Finals, between these two teams in this building, had to be halted in the second period when there was a power failure. The series was shifted to Edmonton where the Oilers completed a sweep.

That time, a transformer blew out. This time, it is believed the lights simply wore out.

When the game was over, Boston Coach Mike Milbury could think of little to say to his exhausted players.

“I didn’t have much to offer them at that point,” he said. “I think that they have erased any doubts as to their ability to play this team.”

Had Milbury come up with any words of wisdom, one of his stars, center Craig Janney, wouldn’t have been there to hear them anyway.

Arriving at the Garden with intestinal flu, he left for the hospital early in the third overtime, suffering from dehydration.

There were opportunities on both sides to end this game earlier.

Mark Messier appeared to have a clear shot on goal from 10 feet in the first overtime, but chipped the puck off to the left.

With Ranford, Murphy and Boston’s John Carter all down in a pileup in front of the Edmonton goal in the second period, Glen Wesley had an opening to win it, but his backhand shot sent the puck over the crossbar.

Seconds later at the other end, Martin Gelinas took a shot that hit the post.

And so it went, chance after chance aborted by an arm here, a stick there.

Edmonton took the lead in the first period, which started on Tuesday evening and seemed, looking back, about a week earlier.

Joe Murphy took the puck behind the net, emerging on the left side where he fed Adam Graves, perched on the edge of the left circle.

Graves fired from 20 feet out, putting the puck between Moog’s pads at the 9:46 mark. It was only Edmonton’e second shot in the game.

The Oilers extended their lead at 13 minutes of the second period, finishing a three-on-two rush.

Skating down the right side, Messier passed to Glenn Anderson.

Don Sweeney was waiting for Anderson on the right side, but the Oiler wing smoothly skated around the Bruin defenseman as if he were anchored in the ice.

Finding himself face to face with Moog in the crease, Anderson chipped the puck in over the Boston goalie’s left shoulder for his seventh goal of the postseason.

Entering the final period of regulation, Boston had played its usual tight brand of defense, had outshot the Oilers, 16-10, and had only a 2-0 deficit to show for it.

Then, defenseman Ray Bourque got offensive.

He got his team on the scoreboard at 3:43 in the third period after Cam Neely, pinched along the boards, managed to shovel the puck to Greg Hawgood.

Hawgood sent it on to Borque in the slot and he responded with an 18-foot shot that sailed past Ranford on his glove side.

That caused Edmonton to turn conservative. Seemingly content to hang on to their slim 2-1 lead, the top-scoring team in the postseason put their swords away and took out their shields. It was the hockey equivalent of rope-a-dope.

And it nearly worked.

But, with a little over a minute and a half to play, Neely, on the right side, fired a shot that was blocked by the skate of Steve Smith.

The puck dribbled into the right corner where Neely was the first to reach it after out-skating Smith.

From there, he rifled a pass through the slot to Bourque, coming up on the left side.

As Ranford furiously turned to meet this newest threat, he lost his balance, tumbling to the ice.

And as he did so, Bourque lofted a shot over him to tie the game.

The clock showed 1:29 to play in the game.

As it turned out, that was hardly the case.

After the game, Milbury told his team to “go home and get a good night’s sleep.”

He didn’t have to say it twice.

NHL’S LONGEST PLAYOFF GAMES

Stanley Cup playoff games that have gone two or more overtimes, with date, score, round, time of overtime and game-winning goal.

* March 24, 1936--Detroit 1, Montreal Maroons 0, semifinal, 116 minutes, 30 seconds, Mud Bruneteau.

* April 3, 1933--Toronto 1, Boston 0, semifinal, 104:46, Ken Doraty.

* March 23, 1943--Toronto 3, Detroit 2, semifinal, 70:18, Jack McLean.

* March 28, 1930--Montreal Canadiens 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, semifinal, 68:52, Gus Rivers.

* April 18, 1987--N.Y. Islanders 3, Washington 2, 1st Round, 68:47, 1st Round, Pat LaFontaine.

* March 27, 1951--Montreal Canadiens 3, Detroit 2, semifinal, 61:09, Maurice Richard.

* March 27, 1938--N.Y. Americans 3, N.Y. Rangers 2, quarterfinal, 60:40, Lorne Carr.

* March 26, 1932--N.Y. Rangers 4, Montreal Canadiens 3, semifinal, 59:32, Fred Cook.

* March 21, 1939--Boston 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, semifinal, 59:25, Mel Hill.

* May 15, 1990--Edmonton 3, Boston 2, final, 55:13, Petr Klima.

* April 9, 1931--Chicago 3, Montreal Canadiens 2, 53:50, final, Cy Wentworth.

* March 26, 1961--Chicago 2, Montreal Canadiens 1, semifinal, 52:12, Murray Balfour.

* April 1, 1937--Detroit 2, Montreal Canadiens 1, semifinal, 51:49, Hec Kilrea.

* March 26, 1930--Chicago 2, Montreal Canadiens 2, tie, quarterfinal, 51:43, Howie Morenz.

* April 2, 1939--Boston 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, semifinal, 48:00, Mel Hill.

* March 20, 1930--Boston 2, Montreal Maroons 1, 45:35, semifinal, Harry Oliver.

* March 22, 1949--Detroit 2, Montreal Canadiens 1, semifinal, 44:52, Max McNab.

* March 27, 1960--Toronto 5, Detroit 4, semifinal, 43:00, Frank Mahovlich.

* March 29, 1951--Montreal Canadiens 1, Detroit 0, semifinal, 42:20, Maurice Richard.

* April 29, 1971--N.Y. Rangers 3, Chicago 2, semifinal, 41:29, Pete Stemkowski.