NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS : Fuhr Lifts Oilers to Victory Over Flames

Edmonton Oiler Coach John Muckler surprised many Thursday night when he decided to start goaltender Grant Fuhr instead of Bill Ranford in Game 1 of a Smythe Division playoff series against the Calgary Flames.

Ranford was last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the playoffs and carried the load for the Oilers this season before faltering down the stretch.

Fuhr, who was suspended for half the season after admitting to substance abuse, had a 6-4-3 record and one shutout.

However, Muckler’s gamble paid off as Fuhr made some big saves in Edmonton’s 3-1 victory at Calgary.

Esa Tikkanen, Petr Klima and Craig Simpson scored for the Oilers as the Flames lost their opening game of the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Al MacInnis scored for the Flames, who are 1-4 in series when they lost the first game.

“We just wanted to play good, sound hockey,” said Fuhr who stopped 27 shots in his first playoff start since April, 1989. “We accomplished that. We did a lot of good things and we didn’t make a lot of mistakes in our own end.”

MacInnis opened the scoring at 12:07 of the first period on a power play goal that slipped through Fuhr’s pads.

Tikkanen tied the game at 18:20 on a screened shot that caught the upper corner.

Mark Messier helped set up Edmonton’s second goal at 10:18 of the second period when he swooped behind the Calgary net with two Flames giving chase. Tikkanen picked up the loose puck and passed it back to Klima, who shot it past Mike Vernon.

Calgary’s Robert Reichel missed an easy goal in the third. He was alone in front of a fallen Fuhr but slid the puck wide of a gaping open corner. Joe Nieuwendyk thought he had tucked the puck into the corner of the net, but television replays showed it had not crossed the line when Edmonton defenseman Charlie Huddy fished it out.

Minnesota 4, Chicago 3--Brian Propp scored on a power play 4:14 into overtime to give the North Stars an upset victory at Chicago in the opener of a Norris Division semifinal series.

Mark Tinordi took a 55-foot slap shot that Blackhawk goaltender Ed Belfour stopped. But Belfour was unable to control the rebound and Propp backhanded the puck into the net from the left of the crease, giving the North Stars their first win in five visits to Chicago Stadium this season against the NHL’s regular-season champions.

The winning goal came with Chicago’s Keith Brown in the penalty box for high-sticking Dave Gagner while on a breakaway. Brown drew blood and received a double minor penalty from referee Terry Gregson. Fans littered the ice with debris to protest the call, and the game was delayed for several minutes while the ice was cleared.

Neal Broten, who started the play that led to the winning goal with a pass to Tinordi, scored twice for the North Stars. His second goal, a 20-foot wrist shot past Belfour’s stick at 6:22 of the third period, tied the game and forced the overtime.

Detroit 6, St. Louis 3--Steve Yzerman scored his second career playoff hat trick as the Red Wings overcame a 40-27 shot deficit to upset the Blues at St. Louis.

Yzerman scored twice in the second period and converted on a two-on-one break at 14:55 of the third period for his first three-goal game in the playoffs since April 6, 1989, against Chicago.

Brad McCrimmon, Sergei Fedorov and Kevin Miller also scored and Bob Probert had three assists for the Red Wings, who chased Blues goaltender Vincent Riendeau at 9:19 of the third period.

Brett Hull had two goals and an assist for the Blues, who entered the playoffs with a seven-game winning streak. Adam Oates had a goal and two assists and Jeff Brown added two assists for St. Louis.