Miracle On Manchester - Games 1 and 2

Games 1 and 2

The series began in Edmonton's Northlands Coliseum, where the Oilers had a record of 31-5-4 during the regular season. Combining that mark with the Kings' season road record of 5-26-9 formed an expectation of the Oilers taking the first two games.

Before the series, Los Angeles coach Don Perry elected to utilize his team's youth and offensive speed to try to simply outscore the Oilers rather than shut them down, as the latter strategy proved futile for the Kings and most other NHL teams over the regular season. As a result, the first game saw the two teams combine for 18 goals, a level of scoring never before seen in the NHL playoffs. Simmer scored at 14 minutes and 58 seconds into the third period to put Los Angeles into the lead for good, and the Kings started off with a 10-8 victory. The 18 goals is still a record for most goals scored in a Stanley Cup Playoff game.

Game 2 was a low-scoring, more traditional style of game, as the Kings and Oilers were tied 2-2 after regulation time had expired. In the first overtime period, Gretzky took possession of the puck after it was sent around the boards in the Kings' zone, then cradled the puck for a couple of seconds, faked a pass, and took a shot from 40 feet out that went through a screen and past Lessard into the Kings' net at 6:20 of overtime. The 3-2 victory for Edmonton tied the series at one game apiece.