BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Edmonton Oilers, behind Ken Linseman's power-play goal in the third period, defeated the Minnesota North Stars 3-1 Tuesday night to sweep their series and advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the second straight year.
In winning the Campbell Conference series 4-0, the Oilers return to the finals where they lost in four games last season to the New York Islanders. Edmonton meets the winner of the Islanders-Montreal series next week for the Cup.
Linseman sealed the game at 7:38 of the third period after the North Stars were penalized for having too many players on the ice. The Oilers center scored his ninth goal of the playoffs by tapping in a rebound of Jari Kurri's attempt.
The Oilers ranked second overall in power-play goals in the playoffs with 14 and have the best won-loss record at 11-3.
Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli scored at 10:35 of the third period, firing a 25-foot slapshot past the outstretched stick of Edmonton goalie Grant Fuhr.
After a scoreless first period, Edmonton defenseman Don Jackson scored his first goal of the playoffs at 4:58 in the second period. Jackson faked Minnesota defenseman Brad Maxwell to poke the puck past diving goalie Gilles Meloche.
Meloche, starting for the first time since Game 2 of the opening Chicago series, stopped 30 shots.
Fuhr held off 24 shots, including a point-blank blast by Keith Acton in the second period which the Oilers' goalie caught against his shoulder with his glove.
Kurri scored an empty-net goal, his 13th of the playoffs, at 19:11 in the third period when Minnesota pulled Meloche for an extra attacker.
Although the two goalies held the teams in check, there were two near misses. Edmonton's Glenn Anderson hit the left pipe from the slot in the third period, while Minnesota's Tom Hirsch struck the right post a minute later on a breakaway.
