Oilers Send Red Wings Tumbling

The Edmonton Oilers sent home the NHL’s best team in the regular season, rallying Monday night to beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, and win the first-round Western Conference playoff series in six games.

Ales Hemsky scored twice, including the winner with 1:06 left in regulation, capping a comeback from a 2-0 deficit after two periods. It was Edmonton’s first playoff series victory since 1998 -- and another huge early-round disappointment for Detroit.

The Oilers tied it 3-3 on a power play, when the puck deflected off Edmonton’s Shawn Horcoff to Hemsky at the side of the net. He whacked at it, then Red Wing defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom pushed Hemsky into the net and the puck went in too.

In Steve Yzerman’s return, he set up Detroit’s power-play goal to make it 2-0, moving him into the eighth spot in the NHL’s career playoff point list with 185.