NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS : Klima’s Trick Is a Treat as Oilers Even Series, 7-2

The Edmonton Oilers picked up their game and knocked down the Minnesota North Stars.

“We definitely tried to play at a high tempo all the way through the game. We turned it up,” Edmonton Coach John Muckler said after his team evened the Stanley Cup semifinals at 1-1 with Saturday night’s 7-2 victory over the North Stars.

Petr Klima scored three times in a 5:13 span of the first period, the fastest playoff hat trick in Edmonton history.

“Petr had a great season. He’s been our game-breaker,” Muckler said. “He’s got exceptional speed. His defensive game has improved a great deal. He’s sticking to the team concept. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and it hasn’t hurt his offense.”

After Minnesota went ahead on Dave Gagner’s power-play goal 1:55 into the game, Klima made it 3-1 and broke the record of three goals in 10:41 set by Wayne Gretzky against Calgary on April 17, 1983. It was the fourth hat trick of the season for Klima, who led the Oilers with a career-high 40 goals.

“The first game, I missed a breakaway and other chances,” Klima said. “I’ve got to do my job. My job is to put the puck in the net. I had my legs tonight. I felt great before the game.”

Edmonton’s victory was important because only six teams in NHL history have rebounded after opening a series with two home losses. The Oilers are now in much better position to contend for their sixth Stanley Cup in eight years.

Games 3 and 4 are Monday and Wednesday at Met Center, where the North Stars are 17-2-2 since Jan. 17, 5-1 in the playoffs and 2-0 against the Oilers this season.

Minnesota, the league’s 16th-best regular-season team, won the first and lost the second games in their series against No. 1 Chicago and No. 2 St. Louis before winning each in six games.

“We knew we had to get a game in here. We got our game,” North Star Coach Bob Gainey said. “The pressure is now on us. If we feel it is an advantage to have home ice, we’d better use it.”

He said the North Stars weren’t sharp Saturday but added: “Their club forced us into some of those mistakes. They were quicker. They sure used their speed to their advantage.”

After going 19-2-6 against Minnesota during the previous nine seasons, including 4-0 in the 1984 semifinals, it was Edmonton’s first victory in five tries this year. They were 0-2-1 against the North Stars during the regular season.

The Oilers played much better than they did in Thursday night’s 3-1 loss.

“There’s no doubt that we were a bit scared going into this game,” Edmonton’s Charlie Huddy said. “We knew going into Minnesota down two games would have been tough.”