Samsonov enjoying the view

EDMONTON, Alberta -- When Sergei Samsonov was playing for Boston, he never had much of a chance to grow a playoff beard because the Bruins didn't last long enough in the postseason for it to grow in beyond stubble.

But so much is different this season. Since the left wing was dealt to the Oilers by the Bruins at the trade deadline March 9, it has been nothing but good fortune. Tonight is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., and Samsonov, whose beard now makes him look like Grizzly Adams, said it has been a great run.

``It's a confident group in here, definitely," said Samsonov, who had a couple of strong scoring chances in his team's dominant 4-0 victory in Game 6 Saturday night, but no points. ``We just kept plugging away. We stuck to our system, we stuck to our plan, and it's paying off."

If Edmonton wins the deciding game, it will be just the second time a team has rallied to win the Cup after being down, three games to one. The only other club to do it was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who defeated the Detroit Red Wings after losing the first three games.

The Hurricanes looked dead on their feet as the Oilers skated circles around them Saturday night, and even Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said his club looked tired and was badly outplayed. After winning the first two games and then going up, 3-1, in the series, Carolina has been unable to close out its opponent. Edmonton has been far more physical and is wearing down the 'Canes.

``I thought they tried really hard," said Samsonov. ``It's the finals. I'm sure you give everything you have. On our part, we're just trying to concentrate on our game. The first couple of games, we kind of got away from what we had been doing during the whole playoffs. But it seems like now we're [getting back to it]."

Twice the Oilers were on the brink of elimination and twice they raised their game to stave it off. Samsonov said the desperation they were feeling didn't hurt.

``It definitely makes you play a little better," he said. ``There's more pressure, obviously. We try to take it a game at a time and try not to look too far ahead. We were just trying to bring the series back home once we were down, three games to one, and we've been playing pretty well at home. We got our crowd into the game early and that helped a lot. We had a good power play and . . . it's nice [it got on track]."

The Oilers made the Hurricanes pay for their lack of discipline and scored three goals in nine man-advantage opportunities. Samsonov had three shots, but they went for naught.

``It's nice to know that in the end it didn't matter," said Samsonov of his missed chances. ``I probably would've lost a lot of sleep if we ended up losing the game. But we had a solid four lines and everyone is contributing and it's been an awesome series so far."

The most impressive combination in the Oilers' comeback has been the line of Michael Peca and wings Raffi Torres and Fernando Pisani. Pisani scored the shorthanded overtime winner in Game 5, and Pisani had a goal and an assist and Torres a goal in Game 6.

``They've been great," said Samsonov. ``They've been playing against [other teams'] best lines and they've been producing against them. They're so underrated, what they bring to the team. They have been playing unbelievable. They're definitely part of our success."

When Samsonov was drafted in 1997 at No. 8 overall, following the Bruins' pick of Joe Thornton at No. 1, it was believed the two would be the face of the franchise for years to come. But Boston didn't have the success it anticipated and players and team have moved on. In Samsonov's case, it's been the greenest of greener pastures.

``You don't know until you obviously get through it," he said, referring to how it feels to go farther than he did as a Bruin. ``The difference is, playing in Boston, we won a series once in my time there [in 1998-99]. You just don't know until you get past that first and second round. All of a sudden, you can see the end of the road and you can enjoy it. It's been a dream come true. Coming from a team that didn't qualify for a playoff spot, and competing for the possibility of winning a Cup, it's a good turnaround."

After 23 grueling postseason contests, it boils down to one.

``The whole season is on the line, one game," said Samsonov. ``We just have to keep it going and keep the same strategy and keep the same system. This is the longest I've played in my career. It's Game 7, you know? You dream about things like that."