GAME: Anaheim Mighty Ducks at Edmonton Oilers.

PLAYOFF SERIES: Western Conference finals; Oilers lead 3-0.

TIME: Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT.

Six weeks ago, a home win over Anaheim helped the Edmonton Oilers sneak into the playoffs. Another victory over the Mighty Ducks at Rexall Place will propel them into the Stanley Cup finals.

The Oilers can clinch their first trip to the finals since 1990 and become the first No. 8 seed to play for the championship if they complete a four-game sweep of the Mighty Ducks in the Western Conference finals.

Edmonton did not wrap up a postseason berth until its 81st game, a 2-1 home win April 13 over Anaheim. That victory - coupled with a loss by the Vancouver Canucks - let the Oilers clinch the final playoff spot in the West.

While no eighth seed has played for the Stanley Cup since the playoff format was altered in 1994, Edmonton can become the first entrant into the finals by winning an eighth consecutive postseason game. The Oilers are riding their longest playoff win streak since an eight-game run in 1990, when the team won the last of its five championships.

“I always knew we had the determination, but maybe I underestimated the will that we had going into the playoffs once we got there,” Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. “There’s been a lot of games that we’ve willed ourselves into a position to win hockey games and done that. And you know, it hasn’t always been the prettiest of play.”

The Oilers put themselves in position for a sweep with Tuesday’s 5-4 victory over the Ducks.

Edmonton built a four-goal lead 4:40 into the third period with a three-goal spurt in a 2:21 span, but barely salvaged the victory as Anaheim played with more desperation and also took advantage of an Oilers team ravaged by the flu.

“It just shows the character in the locker room,” said defenseman Chris Pronger, whose power-play goal gave the Oilers a 4-0 lead. “Guys are doing whatever it takes, playing hurt, sick, whatever the case may be.

“We’ve got a chance to close them out Thursday but I’m sure they’re going to have a lot to say about it.”

Michael Peca, whose goal 2:19 into the third period gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead, assisted on Fernando Pisani’s goal with 5:46 left that restored a two-goal lead. Peca, who was captain of the Buffalo Sabres when they reached the Finals in 1999, has scored in four consecutive games and provided immeasurable leadership in the locker room.

“You have to have somebody who can say the right things,” said Oilers assistant coach Bill Moores. “He recognizes the importance of the times and has stepped forward.”

Peca, who has five goals and three assists in a six-game playoff points streak, was coming off a miserable regular season in which he scored nine goals in 71 games, his lowest total since scoring six in the lockout-shortened 1995 season.

For the Mighty Ducks, the most daunting of playoff comebacks begins in a building that has been most daunting for them. To take the first step in being just the third team in NHL playoff history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit, they must first end a 13-game losing streak at Edmonton that dates back to Feb. 24, 1999.

“The guys in this room are not giving up,” said former Oiler Todd Marchant. “We know that it is not an easy task to come from 3-0 down. But it has happened before and why not make history again? This group is not going to get down. We haven’t quit one time this season and we are not going to quit this time either.”

The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders are the only teams in NHL history to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games.

There are reasons for optimism for the Ducks, who scored all four of their goals Tuesday in an 11-minute span of the third period after being held to two goals through the first two games of the series.

Teemu Selanne scored twice in Game 3, and thinks the frantic finish will lead to better things for Anaheim.

“Our goal scoring this year has been like a ketchup bottle,” the Finnish right wing said. “It’s hard to get it out sometimes but when it comes, it’s going to come a lot. I feel like the momentum is on our side right now. We just have to carry that over next time.”

If the Ducks stave off elimination, Game 5 will be Saturday at Anaheim. If the Oilers complete the sweep, they will begin the Stanley Cup finals at either Carolina or Buffalo.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Mighty Ducks - 6th seed; beat Calgary Flames 4-3, quarterfinals; beat Colorado Avalanche 4-0, semifinals. Oilers - 8th seed; beat Detroit Red Wings 4-2, quarterfinals; beat San Jose Sharks 4-2, semifinals.

PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS: Mighty Ducks - Selanne and Joffrey Lupul, 7 goals; Scott Niedermayer, 7 assists; Selanne, 12 points; Lupul, 31 PIM. Oilers - Pisani, 9 goals; Pronger, 11 assists; Pronger and Shawn Horcoff, 15 points; Georges Laraque, 27 PIM.

PLAYOFF SPECIAL TEAMS: Mighty Ducks - Power play: 10.8 percent (9 for 83). Penalty killing: 88.0 percent (73 for 83). Oilers - Power play: 21.3 percent (18 for 83). Penalty killing: 88.4 percent (84 for 95).

GOALTENDERS: Mighty Ducks - Ilya Bryzgalov (6-4, 3 SO, 1.46 GAA); Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2-2, 3.88). Oilers - Dwayne Roloson (11-4, 2.13); Jussi Markkanen (no appearances).

When NHL owners gather Wednesday for the first time since the lockout ended in July, they will be reviewing a league landscape scarcely imaginable after losing an entire season to a labour dispute.

On and off the ice, the NHL is doing just fine. Attendance is up in most cities (but certainly not all), the game is more exciting and revenues are expected to surpass pre-season projections.

“I think people are feeling good about where we are, but there’s a lot of work to be done and this is no time for anyone to pat themselves on the back,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said this week in an interview with The Canadian Press.

The NHL’s board of governors meets Wednesday and Thursday in Arizona.

It’s believed owners will be told the projected salary cap for next season is not expected to be lower than the current $39 million US, and in fact could possibly be a little higher.

“I don’t want to confirm or deny anything before I tell it to the owners, but revenues are strong,” Bettman said. “And that may surprise some people.”

The $39-million figure was based on projected revenues of $1.8 billion this season, down from the $2.1 billion the league reported in 2003-04 before the lockout. With a new U.S. TV deal in hand from OLN, a new broadcast deal in Europe and attendance strong in traditional hockey markets, the league is on pace to at least match the $1.8-billion projection, if not surpass it.

“We knew that if we could get the right economic system, if we could get the right competitive balance, and we could blend that with the rule changes that we have done on a partnership basis, that this is the result we could have,” said Bettman. “Because we had complete faith in our game, we had faith in our game and we had faith in our players.”

While the NHL says it posted record attendance figures for October and November, rinks in Florida, Atlanta, Carolina, Anaheim and New Jersey appear to have as many empty seats as full ones.

“Our attendance generally gets stronger as the season progresses,” said Bettman. “As baseball ended, and as football ends, and we get past the holidays, our attendance tends to spike upwards. That’s been the historical trend. And to the extent that there have been empty seats in some places, by and large there are fewer empty seats than there were.”

Also on the table at the board of governors meeting:

-A report on franchise matters, including Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

-More CBA matters, including a look at how revenue-sharing might shape up this season.

-A look at the league’s new drug-testing program.

-A presentation from OLN executives on the network’s new relationship with the league.

-A report on the new rules, their impact, and a possible vote on expanding video review for the penalty shootout to avoid future goals like Jeremy Roenick’s “double-hit” - where he basically got two shots away.

-A report on preparations for the Turin Olympics;

-A discussion on possibly adding a “play-in” round to the playoffs, therefore expanding the playoff field to 20 teams from the current 16.

Bettman also invited NHLPA executive director Ted Saskin to address the owners, not something Saskin’s predecessor Bob Goodenow would have ever dreamed of doing given his adversarial relationship with the league.

But these are different times. The new CBA more closely links the players and the owners economically. The more revenue owners rake in, the higher the salary cap, the more money players make.

“In this era of partnership, I thought it was important for the owners to hear from the players, and the Players’ Association, exactly what they’re thinking and how they’re viewing our collective world,” Bettman said of inviting his union counterpart.

Saskin was in Chicago on Tuesday to meet with 60 to 65 player agents. Billed as an information session, it was also a chance for agents to ask Saskin about his conflict with Trent Klatt and the dissident group of players who remain angry with what they believe was Saskin’s improper hiring. Saskin was re-elected via secret ballot late last month but Klatt’s group has continued its fight, setting up a meeting Tuesday morning at the same Chicago hotel with any of the agents interested in hearing their case.

Back in Scottsdale, the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins will also be front and centre. With funding for a new arena still not lined up, the Penguins may be headed out of town.

“I’m not worried about it because Pittsburgh has been a very strong market for us, the franchise being extremely well run,” said Bettman. “The issue is whether or not the Penguins will be treated as fairly as the city, the county and the state treated the Steelers and the Pirates.

“It’s not only that the Penguins have the oldest building in the National Hockey League, it’s that there are two publicly supported stadiums that were built primarily with taxpayer money and they’re new and modern and have the amenities. So it’s difficult for the Penguins to compete for the sport dollar in Pittsburgh against the sale of the modern suite and the advertisement and the amenities fans have become accustomed to.

“Hopefully they’re going to get a new arena because everybody, including Mario, wants the Penguins to stay right where they are.”

The Penguins’ lease at Mellon Arena expires after this season and they can officially look at other cities as early as June. Kansas City is believed to top the list.

“There are lots of places that have been expressing interest in NHL hockey but we’re not focused on any of them because we’re not looking to relocate and we’re not looking to expand,” said Bettman. “We’re looking to make sure that our 30 franchises are healthy and vibrant where they’re located.”

Whether he was auditioning for the Olympics or not, Jose Theodore was good enough for the Montreal Canadiens to claim a much-needed win.

Andrei Kostsitsyn scored his first NHL goal, Michael Ryder scored his team-high 13th and Theodore made 27 saves, leading Montreal to a 5-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday night.

Tomas Plekanec, Niklas Sundstrom and Jan Bulis also scored for the Canadiens, who had lost nine of 12 (3-5-4) after falling 5-3 on Saturday night to Los Angeles in their first game in a week.

The Coyotes ended a season-high three-game winning streak. With Phoenix down 4-0, Boyd Devereaux scored midway through the third to ruin Theodore’s shutout bid. Mike Ricci scored on a scramble at 18:49.

“They came out strong,” Theodore said. “They had three great scoring chances right off the bat and that seemed to give everybody confidence and we dominated the first period. After that, they tried to come back but it was too late.”

With Coyotes coach and Team Canada general manager Wayne Gretzky looking on, Theodore outplayed Phoenix’s Curtis Joseph, another competitor for one of the three goalie spots on Canada’s Olympic squad.

“Theodore was very good tonight,” Gretzky said. “… Listen, I’ve said it many times, the pressure he faces every day playing in Montreal, he handles it extremely well. I have the utmost respect for him as a player.”

Canadiens coach Claude Julien acknowledged that his star goalie had no lack of motivation going into the game.

“There’s no doubt with the Olympics coming and Gretzky in town, and Cujo being talked about as a potential candidate, (Theodore) wanted to showcase his stuff, and we just hope that Wayne Gretzky is in Edmonton on Thursday,” Julien joked.

Joseph, chosen by Gretzky for Canada’s 2002 gold medal-winning Olympic team, stopped 23 shots.

“I’m thinking about our team winning the hockey game and that’s my only thought, and certainly we didn’t put our best effort in,” Joseph said. “They were much hungrier than we were and it showed. They deserved to win.”

Coyotes captain Shayne Doan was assessed a gross misconduct following the game for arguing with refereee Stephane Auger.

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu and defenseman Mark Streit were out of the lineup with the flu. Koivu had hoped to return after missing three games because of a groin injury.

Recalled from Hamilton of the AHL earlier in the day, Kostsitsyn made his third appearance of the season. Limited to 34 seconds of play overall in his previous two games, the 20-year-old from Belarus made the most of a rare opportunity when he put his first career shot past Joseph 6:39 in on his second and final shift of the period.

“He’s filled a tough role,” Canadiens defenseman Sheldon Souray said. “He’s been sitting on the bench a little bit, probably not getting as much ice time as he’s used to, but when he got out there he made the most of it for his first goal and we sure needed it, so good for him.”

Phoenix defenseman Zbynek Michalek made a costly giveaway on Plekanec’s power-play goal at 10:55. Michalek threw the puck up the middle from behind his own net, directly to Plekanec, who drove the slot unmarked and beat Joseph with a backhand to put the Canadiens up 2-0.

Sundstrom made it 3-0 11:44 into the second when his deflection of Souray’s shot past Joseph stood after a lengthy video review determined he made contact with the puck no higher than the level of the crossbar.

Ryder scored for the second straight game, beating Joseph 6:29 into the third to increase the lead to 4-0.

Theodore lost his bid for his first shutout of the season moments later as Canadiens defenseman Mike Komisarek got his stick on Devereaux’s shot. The puck fluttered and changed speeds, and Theodore misjudged its flight as it slipped under his right arm and dropped behind him into the net.

The Montreal goalie made two stops before surrendering Phoenix’s second goal as Ricci swatted the puck under the sprawled Theodore with 1:11 remaining.

Bulis finished off a 2-on-1 with Richard Zednik at 19:05.

Notes: Coyotes RW Mike Johnson ended a six-game point streak. Johnson had five goals and four assists during the streak. … Kostsitsyn, limited to 0:54 of ice time in the first, finished with 6:49 in eight shifts overall. … Montreal has sold out each of its 17 home games this season. … Canadiens C Radek Bonk missed his third straight game with a groin injury.

The National Hockey League should look at the bright side. It won’t be that hard to get back its fans; it doesn’t have that many in the first place. And no matter how low TV ratings may fall, it’s an unwritten Nielsen rule that they absolutely cannot drop into negative integers.
That’s the good news for the NHL. The bad news is that the league just canceled the season and other than people in and around Detroit and a few other Northern U.S. outposts — and, of course, all of Canada — nobody noticed.

Major league hockey was doomed by many problems, not the least of which is that it’s a regional sport trying to make it on a national level during a time when money isn’t growing on trees and the sports calendar is too full of other things Americans care more about, like televised poker.

It also doesn’t help that Wayne Gretzky has been retired for six years now. Furthermore, its TV ratings are so bad that the alternative programming that replaced it during the lockout actually has been attracting more viewers than NHL games did last year.

So it’s hardly going out on a limb to say that this is a sport in big trouble. Frankly, the NHL might as well take advantage of this self-imposed sabbatical to evaluate how and why it had dropped off the face of the earth even before it really did drop off the face of the earth.

Everything should be on the table: eliminating a half dozen or so teams, especially in the Sun Belt; returning a few teams to Canada where they belong (even if the exchange rate is a killer); and cutting out the nonsense on the ice that makes the product a laughingstock to the vast majority of U.S. sports fans who have never played the game, don’t understand its speed and beauty when played properly and wouldn’t know the blue line from the blue moon.

We can come up with a name for those sports fans. For argument’s sake, let’s call them baseball fans. They’re in a pickle too, of course. Their sport is going to give us a season, not that it can be believed or trusted.

Pick your poison: A lockout? Or a fraud? What a fine mess this is. You watch Gary Bettman profess his devotion to the best fans on earth, then cancel the season on them, and you can’t help but acknowledge that as ridiculous as this is, it’s also exactly where professional sports have been headed in our new century.

They used to be an escape from reality. Now, they’re just reality.

You see the headlines every time Jose Canseco opens his mouth — now Tony La Russa is singing too — and you say to yourself, “Sure, why not? How can some of what Canseco is saying not be true? What if it’s all true?” (Memo from the Olympic beat, where officials long ago won the gold medal for at least trying to catch their cheaters: When athletes point fingers at other athletes, they almost always know exactly what they’re talking about.)

Which brings us to Barry Bonds, who reportedly took substances we now know to be performance-enhancing drugs, meaning he has become baseball’s Ben Johnson, the sport’s most famous drug cheat.

If Bonds’ sport had a backbone, it would have kicked him out of baseball just as Johnson was summarily dismissed from the 1988 Olympics — even if legal challenges likely would have reinstated Bonds because, truth be told, taking steroids really has been just fine with baseball’s suits until the past couple of years.

Now, the national pastime’s institutional inattentiveness to its massive steroid problem will allow Bonds to approach or surpass the greatest numbers in all of sports: 714 (Babe Ruth’s home run total), then 755 (Hank Aaron’s).

So, to recap: You have a league deciding to put itself right out of business, which is a first. Then, you have steroids coming back to haunt another league in the richest sports irony of our day.

If Dickens were writing this, he would have to come up with a new lead: “It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times.”

What neither sport understands, despite lip service to the contrary, is that its fans don’t want to hear about any of this. They come to a pro sports event to escape the real world, not confront it. A true hockey fan doesn’t want to deal with the salary cap, doesn’t want to wonder if they’ll agree to $42.5 million or $49 million. A baseball fan doesn’t want to have to explain to a 10-year-old why everyone in the stands is booing Barry Bonds.

But that’s pro sports in the 21st century, and it’s unavoidable. Unless, of course, we all decide to join forces with the NHL and take the rest of the year off.