Raffi Torres scored the go-ahead goal on a deflection in the second period, helping Edmonton eliminate the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 2-1 Saturday and advance to the Stanley Cup finals.
The eighth-seeded Oilers won the Western Conference finals 4-1 and will play for the Cup for the first time since winning it in 1990.
``This team is similar to our 1990 team because this is so unexpected and we have good goal scoring,'' said Oilers coach Craig MacTavish, who played on that squad. ``Our goaltending was terrific the whole series. Our special teams were outstanding. This is the third series we have won that battle.''
PHOTO: EPA
Edmonton awaits either Carolina or Buffalo, whose Eastern Conference finals series is tied 2-2. The Oilers are the lowest-seeded team to ever reach the finals.
``It's awesome as a team,'' goalie Dwayne Roloson said. ``We came from the eighth spot, but it doesn't mean anything now.''
The Ducks outshot the Oilers in all five games of the series, including a 33-25 advantage Saturday. But Anaheim returned to the offensive slump it was in the first two games, when the Ducks scored a combined two goals.
Roloson stopped 32 shots and earned his NHL-leading 12th postseason victory for Edmonton, which won the first three games of the series before losing at home Thursday night.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere was in goal for his second straight game after being benched since the opening round against Calgary, but he couldn't spark the sixth-seeded Ducks again.
The Oilers killed off all but one of their 11 penalties. Anaheim's Niedermayer brothers, Rob and Scott, both narrowly missed tying the game on power-play attempts in the third.
The Ducks pulled Giguere for an extra attacker with about 3 minutes remaining, but Roloson withstood the flurry of traffic around the net.
Edmonton rallied from a one-goal deficit and scored twice in the second period.
A slap shot by Marc-Andre Bergeron deflected off Torres' stick as he fought off a Ducks defender at 8:31, giving Edmonton a 2-1 lead.
The Oilers tied it on a wraparound goal by Ethan Moreau at 3:42. Giguere blocked Moreau's initial shot with his stick, but Moreau got another chance and sent the puck through a narrow opening between Giguere and the post.
Anaheim had its towel-waving fans on their feet with a power-play goal at 7:30 of the first. Francois Beauchemin's slap shot from the blue line sailed into the top of the net after Jaroslav Spacek was sent off for hooking.
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