Edmonton, Alberta – Ales Hemsky scored twice, including the winning goal with 1:06 remaining, to help the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in Game 6 on Monday night and advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs for the first time since 1998.
The Oilers eliminated the league’s points leader in the regular season. It was the third consecutive playoffs Detroit left in either the first or second round.
“A wild, wild game,” Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said after Edmonton clinched a playoff series at home for the first time in 14 years. “And now we move on.”
Hemsky got the winner by working a give-and-go with Sergei Samsonov after skating in from center ice.
“I just told myself to stay with it,” Hemsky said. “It’s amazing, a great feeling.”
Fernando Pisani also scored twice for the Oilers in their four-goal third period.
“I haven’t seen anything like that,” Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson said. “The place erupted. It was unbelievable.”
Roloson, who was a trading deadline pickup from the Minnesota Wild, has become an Edmonton hero after finishing the series with 211 saves.
Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg and Robert Lang scored for the Red Wings.
The Oilers tied it 3-3 on a power play when the puck deflected off Edmonton’s Shawn Horcoff to Hemsky at the side of the net, where he whacked away. Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom pushed Hemsky into net, and the puck went in with it.
The play went under video review to determine if the puck was kicked in. After a lengthy delay, officials awarded Hemsky the goal with 3:53 remaining.
“I literally thought the roof was going to blow off Rexall (Place),” MacTavish said. “My head is still ringing.”
Franzen flicked in a rebound at 10:07 of the third to put the Red Wings ahead 3-2.
Pisani had deked Red Wings goalie Manny Legace and scored with a shot through the legs to tie the game 2-2 at 6:40 of the third.
“We’re a good skating team,” Pisani said. “We knew going into the third period our best hockey was yet to come.”
