NHL Finals: Canes closing in on Stanley Cupby Shawn SillingerIs Ward playoff MVP? With a win over the Oilers in Game 5 on Wednesday night the Hurricanes will be able to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, and touch off victory celebrations in both their Carolinas home and their old Connecticut stomping grounds. The old Hartford Whalers, of course, never made it this deep into the playoffs. In their 18 years of NHL existence the Whalers had three winning seasons, missed the playoffs 10 times, and won only one postseason series (in 1986). Since moving to North Carolina in 1997, the team has had more success and can win the Cup at home tonight. The Edmonton Oilers might have something to say about that though. After dropping the first two games of this series, and losing starting goaltender Dwayne Roloson to a knee injury, Edmonton bounced back with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at home in Game 3. However, the Oilers' momentum proved to be short-lived as the Canes turned the tables in Game 4, and came up with their own 2-1 victory to go up 3-1 in the best-of-seven set. Game 4 started on a positive note for Edmonton, as Sergei Samsonov scored his fourth goal of the playoffs just over eight minutes into the first period. But the Hurricanes responded to that marker almost immediately, as Eric Staal and Frantisek Kaberle set up Cory Stillman for a power-play goal just 29 seconds later to tie up the game at 1-1. Stillman and Staal would then work some more magic in the second period, setting up Mark Recchi 15 minutes into the frame for what would prove to be the game winner. For Recchi it was his seventh goal of the playoffs, while Staal (7 goals, 17 assists) and Stillman (9 goals, 15 assists) are tied for the playoff scoring lead with 24 points apiece. Oilers goaltender Jussi Markkanen was again solid in place of the injured Roloson, stopping 18 of 20 shots and being named the game's third star. Canes counterpart Cam Ward, however, was a bit better, making 20 saves and being named the second star. And Edmonton's power play again let the team down in Game 4. Given five chances with the man advantage the Oilers went 0-5, and are now 1-25 on the power play in the set. Edmonton couldn't even find the net with a lengthy two-man advantage in the first. The Oilers had been listed as -115 favorites at Rexall Place in Game 4, but failed to come through for their supporters. The low-scoring contest was the series' third-straight UNDER play, which comes as a surprise after Game 1 was a 5-4 barnburner and the Oilers have been forced to play without their starting goalie for their last three outings. After two straight games as a slight underdog up in Edmonton, the Hurricanes return home for Game 5 as -200 favorites on the opening line to wrap up the series at the RBC Center. Bettors looking to cash in on a fourth straight UNDER play will be hoping that the combined score falls under 5.5, which was the oddsmakers' opening game total. Should the Oilers manage to come up with a win on the road on Wednesday night the series will shift back up to Edmonton for Game 6 on Saturday night. And if the Oilers defy the odds and win the next two contests, Game 7 is slated for Raleigh on Monday. However, should Carolina win on Wednesday the NHL season will come to an end with the presentation of the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. Top contenders for that honor are Ward, who is 14-6 in the playoffs with a 2.01 GAA, along with top scorers Staal and Stillman, and 12-goal man and captain Rod Brind'Amour. Comments or Questions? Email FaceOff@BetUS.com. --- by BetUSradio at 1800-sports.com on June 14, 2006
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