NHL Playoffs Roundup : Edmonton, Toronto Force Seventh Games

Glenn Anderson’s third-period goal gave the Edmonton Oilers a come-from-behind 5-2 victory over the Flames at Calgary, Alberta, Monday night to tie the best-of-seven series at 3-3 and keep alive their hopes for a third straight Stanley Cup championship.

Calgary had a 2-0 lead in the second period but couldn’t bury the resilient Oilers. Game 7 will be played in Edmonton on Wednesday night.

The Oilers put the game away when Mike Krushelnyski scored into an empty net with 22 seconds left and Craig MacTavish closed out the scoring.

The Oilers, who had trailed 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in games, once again used a strong third period to prolong the series.

They fought back to tie the game, 2-2, in the second and then dominated most of the third.

Before Anderson scored at 7:24, finishing off a three-way passing play with Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky, Calgary goaltender Mike Vernon made three brilliant saves.

Most of the third period was spent in Calgary’s end of the ice, although the Flames did have a couple of good scoring chances.

They failed, however, to mount any sustained offense on two power-play opportunities in the period.

The Flames took a 2-0 lead with Joe Mullen and John Tonelli scoring 82 seconds apart early in the second period.

But some sparkling saves by Edmonton goaltender Grant Fuhr enabled the Oilers to stay in the game and come back to tie it before the period ended.

Esa Tikkanen, on a shot that Vernon should have stopped, and Mark Messier on a short-handed breakaway, pulled Edmonton even.

The reigning two-time Stanley Cup champion Oilers came out firing in the third period, leading to several superb scoring chances before Anderson snapped the tie.

Toronto 5, St. Louis 3--Toronto’s forward line of Walt Poddubny, Mirko Frycer and Peter Ihnacak went from the doghouse to the penthouse as the Maple Leafs won in Toronto to force a decisive seventh game in the Norris Division final.

Benched for most of the fourth game and broken up in the fifth game when Poddubny was not included in the lineup, the three were given full-time duty in Game 6 and produced the winning goal--off the stick of Poddubny with 7:35 remaining.

The best-of-seven series, tied 3-3, heads back to St. Louis on Wednesday night for Game 7.

Poddubny broke free of his check, Gino Cavallini, to take a pass from Frycer about 10 feet in front of St. Louis goaltender Greg Millen, who rushed out to block Poddubny’s progress. Poddubny scooted to his left, fell over Millen and slid the puck into the open net.

“As soon as I got the puck from Miro, I pulled it in and looked up, and Millen was right on top of me,” Poddubny said. “It was the only play I had.”

Steve Thomas led the Leafs with two goals and an assist on a goal by Tom Fergus. Dan Daoust added insurance into an empty net with 44 seconds left.