BY THE CANADIAN PRESS
EDMONTON — Detroit Red Wings found out the hard way Thursday that if you give Mark Messier a little room he'll hurt you.
Messier scored on Edmonton's first shot to provide what Wayne Gretzky called an “explosive” start, then demoralized the Wings with a third-period goal as the Oilers won 4-1.
The best-of-seven National Hockey League Campbell Conference final now is tied 1-1 with the next two games in Detroit.
“That was a big goal, a great effort on Mark's part,” Gretzky said of Messier's first goal 52 seconds into the game. It was Messier's 50th career playoff goal.
“We made the mistake of giving Messier too much ice,” lamented Detroit coach Jacques Demers.
Messier took a pass from Paul Coffey, cut to the right side, and beat Detroit goaltender Greg Stefan low to the glove side.
“He's got a little curve on the end of his stick where he scoops the puck in and flicks it,” Stefan said. “You
can't pick it up right away.”
Oilers grabbed a 2-0 lead when Jari Kurri scored short-handed late in the period, his 60th career playoff goal.
“We thought when we got up 2-0 they'd open up a bit and give us more chances,” Gretzky said.
But Detroit stuck to its defensive game, and the Red Wings' only goal, by Bob Probert, came on a second-period power play.
“We kept checking, hoping to get a break or two,” Demers said. “Mark Kumpel hit the goalpost . . . but that's the way we have to play. When we tried pinching, we got caught.”
Oilers were frustrated by Detroit checking in Game One, a 3-1 Wings victory, but found enough seams Thursday.
“The key was we played as a team and threw the puck around better,” said Edmonton coach Glen Sather.
Oilers limited Detroit to 18 shots, six in each period and none after Kumpe) hit the crossbar in the 14th minute of the final frame.
A few minutes later, at 18:38, Messier scored with a low wrist shot to the opposite corner to tear the heart out of the Wings.
“I don't think anyone else can shoot in full stride, a wrist shot like that,” Sather said.
Jaroslav Pouzar added an empty-net goal.
Stefan had to be extremely alert to keep the Wings as close as they were, while Edmonton goaltender Grant Fuhr had an easy night, though he made two key saves late in the second period and another early in the third.