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Oilers keep Cup hopes alive with Game Three win

Posted on: Sunday, 11 June 2006, 00:11 CDT

By Steve Keating

EDMONTON, Alberta (Reuters) - Ryan Smyth's late strike enabled the Edmonton Oilers to breath new life into the Stanley Cup finals with a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

Reeling from back-to-back defeats in Carolina and the loss of first choice netminder Dwayne Roloson to injury, the Oilers returned home reassuring their fans all was not lost in the best-of-seven series.

The familiar surroundings seemed to invigorate the Oilers and back-up netminder Jussi Markkanen delivered a nerveless effort as the home side came through with a gutsy Game Three win.

Smyth's fortuitous goal decided the cliffhanging contest with a little over two minutes remaining in the third period, the left wing chesting home a rebound off an Ales Hemsky slapshot.

The controversial tally ignited a capacity crowd into joyous celebration, minutes after they had been left stunned by Carolina captain Rod Brind'Amour's equalizer midway through the frame.

The Hurricanes still lead the series 2-1 but the Oilers will have a chance to level the finals in Game Four on Monday.

History, however, continues to favor the Hurricanes.

Of the 29 home teams to win the first two games of a Stanley Cup final since the best-of-seven format was introduced in 1938, 28 have gone to lift the title.

SPARKLING PERFORMANCE

Thrust into the spotlight when Roloson went down with a knee injury in Game One, Markkanen rebounded from a 5-0 loss with a sparkling performance the Oilers sought, making 24 saves on 25 shots.

"He (Markkanen) played incredibly well. I was really happy for him and happy for us. He gave us that effort in net and we really needed it," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish told reporters.

"Great performance, he handled the puck well, he played very well."

The Oilers received a stirring welcome from a raucous crowd of 16,839 at the Rexall Center, one fan throwing a slab of Alberta beef onto the ice during the singing of the national anthems to raise the ear-splitting volume another notch.

Roared on by a sea of blue and copper, the Oilers made a furious start and were rewarded within three minutes when Shawn Horcoff redirected Jaroslav Spacek's effort from the high slot past Cam Ward before Carolina had put a shot on net.

Edmonton had a chance to add to their lead late in the period with a two-man advantage for 1:27, but could not even muster a single shot on the Hurricanes net.

SLAMMED HOME

Following a scoreless second period, Brind'Amour, who scored the Game One winner with just 31 seconds to play, spoiled Markkanen's shutout bid when he slammed home his own rebound past the Finn with just over 10 minutes remaining.

However, Markkanen refused to be beaten again and his efforts were rewarded by a standing ovation from a crowd that had regularly jeered him through an inconsistent regular season.

"I felt fine in Carolina and just tried to carry (that) on this game," said Markkanen, who had not played in over three months until he started Game Two.

"Obviously, we came to play right from the first period.

"I recognized the crowd was loud but I tried to keep my focus on the game."

Ward, the Hurricanes outstanding 22-year-old rookie goaltender who grew up just 20 minutes from the Rexall arena was equally brilliant in the Carolina net and saved 30 shots but could do little about the controversial game-winning goal.

The Hurricanes protested Smyth's strike, arguing that the Oilers forward was in the crease, but after viewing the video replay officials quickly called the score good.

"There's no prettier goal in our view," MacTavish added.

Source: REUTERS

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