Adelaide moved back into the top eight with the closest Showdown win ever as they beat Port Adelaide by three points.
The Crows, 26.00 to reach the Grand Final, had slipped out of the finals spots for the first time this year with last week's defeat to West Coast, in their first game since the death of coach Phil Walsh.
But they held off a late revival by Port to pick up their first victory under interim coach Scott Camporeale in front of an Adelaide Oval AFL-record 54,468 crowd.
What looked a comfortable 30-point margin at the final change was eroded by the Power, who kicked the only four goals of the fourth quarter while Adelaide managed just two behinds.
Robbie Gray booted a goal with just over a minute to play, as Ken Hinkley's men applied intense pressure, but the Crows just managed to hold out for a victory that Camporeale felt was hugely significant.
"This win means a lot to the playing group in terms of being able to move forward and get something out of the rest of the year," he said.
"The four points are critical for us, we've got to earn the right to keep going forward, but getting through what we've got through and (to) get a win really galvanised the group, absolutely."
The Crows earned their win with a clinical midfield display, led by Scott Thompson who finished with 26 possessions and Sam Jacobs who had 51 hit-outs.
Thompson, who won the Phillip Walsh Medal as best on ground, described the game as "finals-like" and admitted it had been too close for comfort at the end.
He added: "We knew they were going to throw everything at us in that last quarter - they had to, they had no option. [I'm] extremely proud of the boys' efforts today."
Adelaide are 1.28 to win their next match against Gold Coast, who are 3.70.
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