ANAHEIM, Calif. (CP) - It wasn't easy, so maybe that's why going to the Stanley Cup final tastes that much sweeter for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers overcame an early deficit, then weathered a late third-period storm, for a 2-1 victory Saturday night that eliminated the Anaheim Mighty Ducks from the NHL playoffs. The win gives Edmonton the Western Conference championship and sends the Oilers to the final for the first time in 16 years.
"We've never done anything easy since I've been here," said defenceman Steve Staios, who wore a baseball cap with Western Conference champions written on the front. "Every game has been a must-win. I think that paid off for these games in the playoffs.
"That's just the way we go. We could have made it a little easier at the end. We got through it though."
Ethan Moreau and Raffi Torres scored second period goals for the Oilers, who won the best-of-seven series 4-1.
"It's unbelievable, especially with the group of guys we have," said Moreau, playing in his sixth full season with the Oilers. "You can see it in the guys' eyes. It was a long time coming. We have a chance to win the Stanley Cup and it's not done."
Former Oilers great Wayne Gretzky visited the Edmonton dressing room after the victory.
The Oilers last played for the Stanley Cup in 1990 when they defeated the Boston Bruins in five games. That was Edmonton's fifth Stanley Cup victory in seven years and came after Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
The Oilers now wait for the winner of the Eastern Conference final between the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes. That series is tied 2-2.
Francois Beauchemin, on the power play, scored for the Ducks.<
The game had a wild finish. The Oilers took a string of penalties. At one point they were two-men short and the Ducks pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker.
Sensing their extinction, the Ducks attacked the net like hungry dogs in a butcher shop. Like he's done all playoffs, Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson made some key saves and the Edmonton players sacrificed their bodies by dropping in front of shots.
"Guys were laying down in front of shots and doing the smart things," said Roloson, who the Oilers obtained from the Minnesota Wild near the trade deadline. "That's why we're having the success we are because we are doing the little things that make a big picture at the end."
The Ducks outshot the Oilers 33-25 and were 1-for-11 on the power play.
"I don't think a better team beat us," said Anaheim's Teemu Selanne. "We beat ourselves.
"I was disappointed in our power play. The puck wasn't bouncing for us. It was tough to see that. We battled so hard. We tried our best. We can only look in the mirror."
Edmonton, which began the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West, becomes the second consecutive Canadian team to play for the Stanley Cup. The Calgary Flames lost the 2004 final to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
For veteran Oilers captain Jason Smith it's a chance to live a childhood dream.
"It's unreal," said Smith. "I've played in the final many times over on a rink or a road. It's going to be great to have the opportunity to be out on the ice playing for it."
Chris Pronger, who the Oilers obtained from St. Louis in a trade last summer, said Roloson has been the difference in the playoffs.
"Obviously acquiring Dwayne at the deadline and getting that piece of the puzzle has ultimately got us to the final," said Pronger, who will play in his first Stanley Cup final. "It's exciting to be a part of. I'm happy for the guys, guys that have been here for a number of years."
The Oilers trailed 1-0 after the first period but Moreau tied the game at 3:42 of the second on a great individual effort. He skated behind the Ducks net and tried to jam the puck into the corner. Anaheim goaltender J.S. Giguere made the first stop but Moreau got the rebound and flipped it into the net.
Torres put the Oilers ahead on a deflection less than five minutes later. The Ducks had just managed to kill a penalty when Edmonton defenceman Marc-Andre Bergeron blasted a shot from the point that Torres, cutting in front of the net, redirected past Giguere.<
Giguere, making his second consecutive start in goal, made some good saves but also coughed up some juicy rebounds.
The crowd at the Pond in Anaheim was announced as a sellout at 17,174 but there were many empty seats in the building.
Sensing the desperation of the situation the fans seemed louder than earlier games. A contingent of Edmonton fans could be heard chanting, "Let's go Oilers."
The Ducks staved off elimination by winning 6-3 in Edmonton on Thursday night. The only two NHL teams to battle back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series were the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders.
NOTES - The Oilers are 18-0 in series they take a 2-0 lead. .. The six goals Edmonton allowed in Thursday's loss was the most the Oilers allowed on home ice since the 1990 playoffs. .. The Oilers longest playoff winning streak is nine games in 1985.