Oilers claim opener of Western finals

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ales Hemsky scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, Dwayne Roloson had 31 saves and an assist, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 3-1 Friday night in the opener of the Western Conference finals.

Edmonton, which had just one day off between the end of its series against San Jose and the beginning of the best-of-seven conference finals versus Anaheim, still matched the Ducks in energy, speed and checking. All that added up to the Oilers' fifth straight victory after they fell behind the Sharks 0-2 in the previous round.

Anaheim hadn't played since completing a sweep of Colorado on May 11 and vowed that rust wouldn't be a factor once the puck dropped for the opener against Edmonton.

Game 2 is Sunday night in Anaheim before the series shifts to Edmonton .

-- AP