NHL Playoffs Roundup : Edmonton Avoids 0-2 Hole by Stopping Calgary in Overtime

Glenn Anderson scored his second goal of the game 64 seconds into overtime Sunday night at Edmonton to give the Oilers a bitterly fought 6-5 victory over the Calgary Flames and even the best-of-seven series at a game each.

Immediately after Anderson’s goal, tempers, which flared often during the game, exploded and several scuffles broke out before the teams left the ice.

It has been obvious throughout the first two games of the series, which resumes Tuesday night at Calgary, that these teams dislike each other. It should get even hotter.

Although rookie goalie Mike Vernon, who stifled the Oilers in the opener, was unable to play because of a strained knee, the Flames had the two-time Stanley Cup champions in deep trouble.

Largely because All-Star goalie Grant Fuhr played poorly, the Flames held a 4-2 lead after two periods. The Flames would have been very difficult to beat if they had won the first two at Edmonton.

In the third period, the Oilers started to play like champions. They took complete control. Craig McTavish scored before the period was a minute old and halfway through the stanza, Mark Napier tied the game.

It appeared the Oilers had escaped with a home ice split in regulation when Dave Hunter put them ahead, 5-4, with a little more than three minutes remaining.

But, the gallant Flames removed backup goalie Rejean Lemelin and, with six attackers, set up Joe Mullen for his second goal to tie it with 80 seconds left.

The Flames never had a chance in overtime. The Oilers controlled the puck until Dave Lumley found Anderson with a pass near the net. The high-scoring wing faked out Lemelin and slipped in a backhander to end the thriller.

Besides earning the split, the Flames also had the satisfaction of stopping the great Wayne Gretzky cold. They bumped, held and roughed up the brilliant center almost every second he was on the ice. He missed several good scoring opportunities and settled for a lone assist on Hunter’s goal in the third period.

Toronto 3, St. Louis 0--Of the 16 teams who qualified for postseason play in the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs had the worst defense. They gave up 386 goals in 80 games.

So, look at the team that turned in the first shutout in the playoffs. In this game at St. Louis, Ken Wregget stopped 35 shots and Toronto tied the series, 1-1.

In Friday’s opener, the Blues had 36 shots, but six of them eluded the youngster.

Peter Ihnacak knocked in a rebound near the middle of the second period to give Wregget all the help he needed.

Tom Fergus raised the lead to 2-0 when he scored before the final period was five minutes old. Defenseman Borje Salming slipped the puck past Greg Millen for the final score late in the game.