The Edmonton Oilers host the Boston Bruins tonight in the first matchup between the two teams this season.
The two circle-logoed clubs have a lengthy history, with the Bruins being an Original Six team, while the Oilers had a dynasty back in the 1980s. Edmonton’s last two Stanley Cups came in 1988 and 1990, ironically, they defeated the Bruins both years.
1988 Stanley Cup Finals
The Edmonton Oilers finished with a 44-25-11 record for 99 points, second in the Smythe Division behind the Calgary Flames. In the first round, they defeated the original Winnipeg Jets 4-1, before sweeping the Flames despite not having home-ice advantage. In the conference finals, they defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1, setting up a matchup between the Bruins and the Oilers.
In Game 1, the Oilers opened the scoring just under two minutes into the period, as Wayne Gretzky scored his 10th of the postseason on the power play. With about seven minutes left in the middle frame, Cam Neely scored to knot the game up at one heading into the second intermission. It didn’t take long for the Oilers to get on the board in the third period, as Keith Acton scored his second of the postseason as the Oilers won Game 1 by a score of 2-1.
Game 2 remained in Edmonton, as the Oilers went up 2-0 thanks to power play goals from Glenn Anderson and Mark Messier towards the end of the first period. The score stayed the same way until early in the third period, as Bob Joyce scored 35 seconds into the period for the Bruins before former Oiler Ken Linseman scored less than three minutes later to tie the game at two. However, Gretzky scored with eight and a half minutes left, and Jari Kurri’s last-second goal sealed the game in the Oilers’ favour.
The series shifted to Boston for Game 3. For the first time in the series, the Bruins opened the scoring as Randy Burridge scored early in the game. However, Kevin McClelland, who was the feature of a Throwback Thursday recently, tied the game before the end of the first period. The Oilers scored twice in the second period with goals from Esa Tikkanen and Anderson, before Tikkanen scored his second of the game early in the final frame.
Boston showed some life with a Moe Lemary goal just over four minutes into the period, but Craig Simpson scored midway through the final frame to restore the Oilers three-goal lead. Neely scored on the power play to make it a two-goal game, before Tikkanen completed the hat trick with just 20 seconds left.
Game 4, part one, saw the Oilers score 10 seconds into the game before Tikkanen scored with just over four and a half minutes left in the first frame. Greg Hawgood scored to cut the lead in half heading into the first intermission. Thanks to two quick goals from Glen Wesley, the Bruins took a 3-2 lead, before Simpson tied the game with a power play goal.
That game was notable for the fog delays, but immediately after that goal, the power gave out at Boston Garden. A long delay saw the league suspend the game, leading to Game 4 being replayed in Edmonton. Had the Bruins won games, the original Game 4 would’ve been continued as Game 5.
We may never see a team get three home games in the first four games of a series again. Not that it’d really matter, as the Oilers had a stranglehold on the series. The two teams traded goals in the first period, with Steve Kasper scoring in the first minute for the Bruins before Normand Lacombe scored just over six minutes into the period. Ken Linseman scored to give the Bruins the lead again, with Tikkanen scoring his ninth of the postseason to tie the game heading into the first intermission.
It was all the Oilers in the second period, as Mike Krushelnyski, Gretzky, and Simpson each scored to give the Oilers a 5-2 lead going into the third. Simpson’s goal was a backbreaker, as there were just two seconds left on the clock. Tikkanen scored his second of the game early in the third, with the Bruins’ Kasper also scoring his second of the game later that period. It didn’t matter though, as the Oilers were able to celebrate their fourth Stanley Cup on home ice on May 26, 1988.
1990 Stanley Cup Finals
In the summer of 1988, the Oilers traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. The two teams met in the first round of the 1989 postseason and despite the Oilers leading 3-1 in the series, the Kings went on to win the series. To add insult to injury, the Oilers’ provincial rival, the Calgary Flames, won their first and only Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The 1989-90 Oilers were still a good team though, finishing with 90 points, nine behind the Flames who won the division. Unlike the 1988 postseason, the two provincial rivals didn’t meet in the postseason, as the Kings bounced the Flames in the first round.
The Oilers won their series against the Winnipeg Jets though, defeating them in seven games. In the second round, the Oilers got their revenge on the Kings, sweeping them in four games. In the conference finals, the Oilers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 to head to the Stanley Cup Finals; another date against the Boston Bruins.
Game 1 of the series was a marathon. Adam Graves scored midway through the first period, with Glen Anderson scoring with seven minutes left in the second period. However, defenceman Ray Bourque scored twice in the third period, including one with 89 seconds left in the game, to send it to overtime. It took over 55 minutes of game action to settle the winner, as Petr Klíma ended the game. Former Bruin, Bill Ranford saved 50 shots on 52 opportunities, while former Oiler, Andy Moog, saved 28 shots on 31 opportunities for the Bruins.
The second game of the series was a blowout for the Oilers. Graves and Jari Kurri scored the first two goals to give the Oilers a 2-0 before Bourque scored another last-minute goal to make it a 2-1 game in the first intermission. The Bruins tied the game thanks to a Greg Hagwood goal early in the second, but it was all the Oilers for the rest of the game.
Kurri scored his second of the game less than two minutes later, before Craig Simpson, Esa Tikkanen, and Joe Murphy scored before the end of the second period, giving the Oilers a 6-2 lead heading into the third. Kurri scored his second of the game, giving us the final score of 7-2. Ranford made 25 saves on 27 opportunities, while Moog allowed three goals on four shots.
Of the 10 games the two teams have played against each other in the postseason, Game 3 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final marks the only time the Bruins got the upper hand over the Oilers. Anderson’s goal 10 seconds into the suspended game was the fastest in Stanley Cup Final history. Ironically, John Byce matched the record in Game 3. Greg Johnston scored later that period to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead with Tikkanen scoring a power play goal six minutes into the third period. The Bruins held on to win, with Moog making 28 saves on 29 shots, while Ranford saved 20 shots on 22 opportunities.
The rest of the series went the Oilers’ way though. In Game 4, Anderson scored twice in the first period, before Simpson and Tikkanen scored to give the Oilers a 4-0 lead into the third period. John Carter got the Bruins on the board, but Simpson scored his second of the game and 15th of the postseason with 84 seconds left in the game. Ranford had another terrific game, saving 24 shots in 25 opportunities.
Game 5 saw a similar trajectory. Anderson scored just over a minute into the second period, with Simpson scoring his 16th of the postseason midway through the middle frame. In the third period, Steve Smith scored just over six minutes into the third period and Joe Murphy gave the Oilers a 4-0 lead with a goal with 5:07 left in the game. Lyndon Byers scored with three and a half minutes left, but the Oilers won the game and the series 4-1.
In that game, Ranford saved 29 saves on 30 opportunities. After the game, he was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, as he had a .912 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average in the 22 games he played. In the series against the Bruins, he had a .949 save percentage in the five games.
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