Fernando Pisani and the Edmonton Oilers are a win away from the Stanley Cup finals.
Pisani's ninth goal of the postseason helped the Oilers withstand a late rally by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and Edmonton won Game 3 of the Western Conference final 5-4 on Tuesday night.
The Oilers go for the sweep and their first trip to the finals since winning the Stanley Cup in 1990 on Thursday at home.
PHOTO: EPA
The Oilers roared out to a 4-0 lead on goals by Michael Peca, Steve Staios and Chris Pronger in the first five minutes of a wild third period.
"At no point was I comfortable at 4-0 because I knew the energy level of our team," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. "It was a wild game we feel fortunate to have won. I've been in those situations where we haven't won.
"We've got to come in here Thursday with some fresh legs."
Anaheim came right back on goals by Sean O'Donnell, Teemu Selanne and Chris Kunitz to make it 4-3.
"Good lesson for us," Staios said. "That's a desperate hockey team but we like the situation we're in now."
Pisani gave Edmonton some insurance with just over five minutes left. It turned out to be a huge goal after Selanne scored his second of the game to bring Anaheim back within 5-4. Toby Petersen scored in the first period to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead.
Eighth-seeded Edmonton, which eliminated Detroit in the first round, has won seven straight since falling behind 2-0 to San Jose in the second round. It's the Oilers' longest postseason winning streak since 1090. They are 6-1 at home this postseason. Edmonton has not yet trailed in this series and already has gone deeper into the playoffs than any eighth-seeded team since the introduction of the conference format in 1994.
The Ducks have lost 13 consecutive games in Edmonton, dating back to Feb. 24, 1999.
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