Gretzky’s Shadow Following Janney Now : NHL playoffs: Tikkanen, illness dogged Bruin in triple-overtime loss to Oilers.

Craig Janney finally found someplace to hide from Esa Tikkanen early Wednesday morning--a hospital bed.

Still, the way the Edmonton Oiler wing shadowed the Boston Bruin center throughout Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Tuesday, Janney could almost imagine Tikkanen showing up as a volunteer nurse.

Janney was sent to Massachusetts General Hospital, suffering from dehydration, after playing in the longest game in the finals, a 115-minute 13-second, three-overtime marathon won by Edmonton, 3-2.

His problems, though, began before he arrived at Boston Garden. Already hit with stomach flu, he had a 100-degree fever when he stepped onto the ice in the hot, humid arena.

“With the length of the game, I just kept losing fluids,” he said. “Between the second and third overtime, my whole body cramped up and I just couldn’t go on. I didn’t have anything left. I’ve never been in such pain. I just wanted to survive.”

He did, thanks to the overnight hospital stay and intravenous fluid.

Janney was back on the ice to practice Thursday and expects to play tonight in Game 2 at the Garden.

So much for the pain in his stomach. The pain in the neck won’t be so easy to shake.

Tikkanen is merely doing what he does best, what he did to Wayne Gretzky in the second-round series against the Kings and Denis Savard in the third round against the Chicago Blackhawks. Tikkanen is assigned to the key man in the opposing offense and told to disrupt him and, thus, the opposing team’s game plan.

In the case of the Bruins, that would be Janney, the center who often fed Cam Neely on his way to a team-high 55 goals.

With Tikkanen on the job Tuesday, it was left to defenseman Ray Bourque to score both Boston goals.

“I’ve never had anything like that,” Janney said. “It just seemed wherever I turned, (Tikkanen) was just right in my face the whole game. It was hard to breathe, he was so close to me. I didn’t really touch the puck all night.”

At one point, in desperation, Janney faked as if he were coming off.

“I wanted to see if it would work,” he said. “I went toward the bench and screamed, ‘Change! Change!’ He looked to his bench. Then, I cut away and was open for a second, but nobody saw me.

“The next time, he waited until I crossed the boards. He said, ‘That’s not going to work this time, son.’ ”

Hockey Notes

Thursday, Edmonton announced the signing of defenseman Craig Muni to a two-year contract, the second season being an option year. Muni, 27, a former first-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, joined the Oilers four years ago as a free agent and has played on their last two Stanley Cup winners.

Leftovers from Tuesday night’s Boston marathon: The longest previous Stanley Cup game was played in 1931 in Montreal between the Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks, with the game-winner scored by Cy Wentworth 13 minutes 50 seconds into the third overtime. . . . Tuesday’s game was the ninth longest in NHL history, No. 1 being a 1936 game between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons, won by Detroit, 1-0, at the 16:30 mark of the sixth overtime. The Red Wings’ Moderre (Mud) Bruneteau scored the only goal.

Boston out-shot Edmonton Tuesday night, 52-31, including 22-15 in the overtimes. . . . After tonight, the scene shifts to Edmonton for Game 3 Sunday and Game 4 Tuesday.