Well, I’ve returned this Friday without many news items to comment on, and no breaking news items to report.

So…

We’re gonna do this Weird Al style…  and Polka your eyes out.

Amongst a ton of other details regarding the questioned contracts of Illya Kovalchuk, Marc Savard, Roberto Luongo, and Marion Hossa, there is some good news about the extension Chris Pronger received last season.

The NHL has announced that no changes will be made to the contract, leaving the Flyers and Pronger out of the ongoing circus.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/devils/nhl_will_play_hardball_over_ilya_yS6vN4hMKN88KdA5LaSpDN

While I’m happy that official word has been released that Prongs’ contract is safe… To be completely honest – I never expected anything to become of all the contracts that had already been allowed to pass.  I believe the league’s decision to “re-examine” those old contracts was their way of letting the masses – as well as Kovy and the Devils – know that they were serious when they said this kind of crap will no longer fly.

Had the league actually decided to mess with those other contracts on top of the Kovy contract – it would have been a big credibility hit to the league.

Kudos for them for finally putting their foot down on the issue…

But, yes…  the Kovy saga still rolls on.

Hey, look – it’s September.

Visits to the in-laws generally rank low on most husbands’ lists of fun things to do, so veteran forward Bill Guerin decided it was the right time to hit the ice.

Guerin was in Medford, N.J., visiting his father-in-law when he wanted to find some place to skate. The best available place, however, happened to be in nearby Voorhees, at the Philadelphia Flyers’ practice site, which sparked reports that Guerin, a free agent, was attempting to earn a tryout invitation with the Flyers.

Guerin, however, said the only thing he wanted was some ice time; that it happened to be at the Flyers’ home was irrelevant.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=536712&cmpid=rss-Feature%20Stories

Well, for the sake of being PC…  we’ll use a more safe-for-work vocabulary:

Hogwash!

Personally, I don’t believe for a second that Guerin just happened to pop in and skate around with the boys.  If that really were the case – why the heck would it make it to the NHL.com front page and the philadelphiaflyers.com front page?  I mean – this was posted as a news story after all.

We all know as fans, that the Flyers site doesn’t usually post on any kind of rumors of any kind on the front page – no matter how good the source is.  So, is this just a feel-good howabout-that story?

I cannot say for sure, but I don’t believe it was as simple as they say it was.  Guerin goes on to say that he did need/want a place to skate, so he had his agent talk to Homer about making it happen.

So, wait…

Guerin needed his agent to get him said “informal” skate put together?  An agent talking to a GM for an informal skate…

Sounds fishy to me.

The Flyers look to be a better team than they showed in the regular season, but are they as good as their trip to the Stanley Cup Final might indicate?

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=536017

This one might just be me overreacting a little bit, but it still gets under my skin.

I do NOT believe the Flyers need to prove a THING to the rest of the league, their fans, or anyone for that matter.

The giant brass ones they showed in pulling together at the end of the year to nab their playoff spot and throughout the postseason to get themselves within 2 wins of Lord Stanley’s cup is proof enough for me, and should be plenty for everyone else out there.

The saying holds true in sports just as much as it does in real life:

True colors show when under pressure.

For the sake of not letting this rant get out of control – I will simply say that I do not believe that this team needs to prove anything to anyone.  Hopefully the experiences that each of them went through will pull them closer together for this coming season – and the hockey gods will grant them a smoother ride through the coming 82 games.

So, now that you’ve had a taste of Polkarama – I will end this blog with some solid wishes that everyone had a great summer.  However, I am glad that training camp and preseason games are right around the corner.  Swimming is great – and bikinis are fantastic… but a season without hockey is just not cool.

In the words of Gene Hart…

Good night, and good hockey.

-Eddie Harbuzinski Jr.

According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the NHL has decided to accept the contract extension agreed upon last summer between the Flyers and star defenseman Chris Pronger.

Pronger’s contract was called into question a couple weeks ago during arbitration of the first Illya Kovalchuk contract dispute.  The arbitrator specifically mentioned Pronger, Marion Hossa of the Blackhawks, Roberto Luongo of the Canucks, and Marc Savard of the Bruins as being beneficiaries of front-loaded contracts that were expressly designed to circumvent the league’s salary cap structure.

The acceptance (or re-acceptance) of the contract provides a deep sigh of relief for anyone who had even an ounce of concern for the Flyers’ cap management strategy going forward.  A rejection of the current contract extension would have meant that Pronger would have suddenly been thrust right back into the UFA pool, despite already having a 1 year old agreement in place that was to last out the rest of his career.  Philly is already nailed firmly to the salary cap ceiling, and a forced restructuring of a major contract like Pronger’s could have spelled disaster for GM Paul Holmgren and the Flyers’ capologists.

Can you imagine the Flyers trying to rebuild Pronger’s contract in a way that would have kept him in Philly until retirement while avoiding an increase in their cap liability?  It would have been nearly impossible.  That scenario would have likely forced Homer’s hand to drop even more salary via a trade or assignment to the AHL.

Scary thought.  Fortunately, it’s a thought that no longer needs much consideration.

THIS is what summer should look like.  I wish…

If you’re anything like me, you can’t stand this time of year.  Yeah…I know.  Most people are reveling in the hot temps and sunny days  (even though they seem to be in short supply this August), but not me.

Summertime to me means sweating for absolutely no reason, running up the light bill with the A/C blasting, and worst of all…NO HOCKEY.

Well, at least this week I am being appeased by the full day-to-day replay of the greatest comeback in pro sports history (yeah, I said it).  For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, the NHL Network has been re-running the entire Flyers-Bruins semifinal from the 2010 playoffs, one day and one game at a time.  And for those of you who still do not have access to the NHL Network, you have my sincerest condolences.

But soon it will be back to pining for Flyers hockey and building anticipation for the upcoming season.  Luckily, the trip from the end of last season to the start of next season has been pleasingly short.  As of right now, we are just 20 days away from the start of training camp, and even less until the opening of rookie camp.  With the Flyers coming within just 2 wins of their first Stanley Cup championship since 1975, the summer-long wait for the return of hockey has been cut down dramatically.  Sure beats a 1st round exit for more than the obvious reasons.

For us fans, especially the ones who aren’t finding much solace in watching the Phillies stumble their way through the season, the short summer is a blessing.  Soon, the wait will be over.  And I will once again be able to take to my Man Cave and be a hopeless Flyers headcase for the ensuing 8 months.

But for the players themselves, the quick return to the ice isn’t always quite so rosy.  Guys depend on the off months to recuperate from arguably the toughest postseason in sports.  It gives them time to spend with their families and unwind from a grueling season that for most ends in disappointing fashion.

And considering the deep run the Flyers had, they are stricken with the shortest summer of any team that came up short of their goal, as well as the deepest disappointment.

Teemu H of BroadStreetHockey.com had an outstanding article yesterday regarding the cost of coming up just short and how it has affected Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen.

“It felt like ten months had gone down the drain. Actually, it still feels like that.”

Timonen played well over a hundred games last season, including preseason, regular season, Olympics and playoffs. It was demanding physically, but possibly even more so mentally.

“It was the toughest season I’ve ever had. My body was pretty much broken in the end.”

The summer so far has not been enough time to recover from all of that.

“My body is in a relatively good condition, but I haven’t recovered mentally yet. The idea of having to jump back into a similar situation feels pretty hard right now.”

It’s pretty safe to say that Timonen is likely not the only guy on the Flyers roster who feels the same way.  Briere, Hartnell, Laperriere, Pronger…these are guys who are no longer considered young’uns, and each of them beat the hell out of themselves to get as far as they did last year.  In all fairness, they definitely could use more than a mere 9 or 10 weeks to get ready to do it all again both physically and mentally.

For those reasons, it’s also not inconceivable that this short offseason could very well result in a difficult start to the 2010 campaign.

Pronger is expected to miss all of training camp, and still isnt sure that he will be ready for opening night.  Think about the implications.  At training camp one year ago, you could see that Pronger was in command on the ice, directing and helping guys at every phase.  He acted almost as an extension of the coaching staff.  For all his experience and presence on the ice and in the dressing room, Pronger’s absence in practices WILL be felt.

Peter Laviolette made his expectations clear during exit interviews at the end of last season.  He told his team to come to camp in the best shape of their lives.  There will be no rest for the weary.  Laviolette expects this team, with all its improvements and changes, to take that final small step and finish the task.

Flyers fans are going to chomping at the bit once the season does finally get underway.  There will be little quarter given to the team that defied all odds last season and nearly won it all.  But is it fair to expect the Flyers to come out roaring with their asses on fire?

My thinking is not so much that Flyers fans should be tempering their expectations for the 2010 season, but that fans should be willing to give the Flyers a bit of time to get their game together at the start.  We, as fans, need to not get short-sighted if the start of the season is difficult, and avoid running for the nearest bridge.  It was a hellride last year, and one that isn’t going to be easily recovered from.

Game 6 – Stanley Cup Finals

6/9/10 4-3 OT Loss CHI wins series 4-2 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total CHI 1 2 0 1 4 PHI 1 1 1 0 3 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total CHI 17 10 12 2 41 PHI 7 6 9 2 24

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

_______________________________________________________________________________

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Patrick Kane’s goal 4:10 into overtime lifted the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to take a deciding Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Kane shot from a sharp angle along the left wing, and managed to sneak a low shot through Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton, touching off a wild celebration by the visitors, who claimed their first championship since 1961.

Philadelphia put up a valiant fight, tying the game with 3:59 left in regulation when Scott Hartnell notched his second goal of the contest as he managed to get his stick on a loose puck in the low slot. The Flyers had the best of the early chances in overtime, but Chicago ultimately proved to be the fresher club and capitalized on the final break.

Kane added two assists, while Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd also tallied for the Blackhawks, who had come up empty since topping the Detroit Red Wings 49 years ago. It was the longest current title drought in the NHL.

Jonathan Toews, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, collected an assist and tied Denis Savard’s franchise playoff record with 29 points in the postseason. Savard initially set that record through three rounds in 1985.

For Marian Hossa, who did not record a point in the game, the victory was vindication. The 31-year-old Czech avoided becoming the first player in NHL history to lose in a Finals with three different teams in three consecutive years. He’d come up empty with Pittsburgh in 2008 and with Detroit last season.

Antti Niemi looked shaky at times in the third period and overtime, but nonetheless earned his 16th win of the postseason with 21 stops for Chicago, which became the first team to win on the road in the best-of-seven set.

Danny Briere picked up a goal and two assists and in the process set a new Flyers’ single-season playoff points record with 30. Ville Leino added two key assists for Philadelphia, which has fallen short in each of its last six Cup Finals appearances since last winning in 1975.

Leighton acquitted himself well in defeat. After being pulled following the first period in Sunday’s Game 5 loss, he made 37 saves in this season-ending defeat — several of them crucial as his club clawed from behind just to reach the extra session.

The Blackhawks got on the board during their second power-play opportunity of the opening period, with Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger off for high- sticking.

After a scrum to the right of the Philadelphia net, Byfuglien was alone at the top of the crease to shovel home a centering feed by Toews at the 16:49 mark.

Blackhawks backliner Brent Seabrook was given an elbowing penalty seconds after the score, but Philadelphia came up empty. Chicago blueliner Brent Sopel followed with an interference infraction with 53 seconds to play in the first and the home team finally capitalized.

Briere shot from the bottom of the right circle, and the rebound came out to Hartnell, who backhanded the puck through Niemi’s legs while facing away from the cage at 19:33.

Philly took a 2-1 edge thanks to a miscue in the neutral zone. Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith fell while trying to gather the puck, freeing up Leino to swoop in, charge through the middle and dish to Briere, who waited a second to lift the puck high over a fallen Niemi at eight minutes even.

In a 4-on-4 situation, Chicago knotted the game as Sharp was uncovered in front to tip a Dave Bolland centering feed through Leighton’s pads at 9:58.

Ladd then put the Blackhawks ahead with a deflection of a long shot at the 17:43 mark, when Niklas Hjalmarsson unleashed a slap shot from below the left circle that beat Leighton on a tip on the short side.

In desperation, the Flyers kept coming in waves and eventually tied the game inside four minutes left in regulation. Leino came down the right side and dished into the slot. The puck caromed off the skate of a Blackhawks defender near the crease and Hartnell was able to get his stick on the disc before Niemi could seal off the post.

Jeff Carter, who only notched one empty-net goal in the series, was robbed of a game-winner with 90 seconds to play as Niemi dove forward and used the glove to snuff out a wide-open chance.

Game Notes

The last time a Stanley Cup Final was decided in overtime happened on June 10, 2000 as New Jersey topped Dallas, 2-1, in double OT…Kane finished with 10 goals and 28 points…Chicago won for the first time in four tries in Philadelphia this season…The Flyers fell to 3-2 all-time in Cup Finals Game 6 (wins in 1974-75, 1987; losses in 1980 and 2010)…Philly also fell to 9-2 at home this postseason…For Ladd, this was his second career title, with the first coming in 2006 with Carolina and current Flyers bench boss Peter Laviolette his head coach…Byfuglien wound up with 11 goals and 16 points…Leino tied the NHL’s rookie playoff point-scoring mark with 21 (7G, 14A), originally set by Dino Ciccarelli of Minnesota in 1981 (14G, 7A)…Briere ended the postseason with 12 goals and 18 assists…The Flyers and Blackhawks racked up 47 goals in this six-game matchup.

Content Copyright 2007, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
16:49 CHI PPG – Dustin Byfuglien (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. Toews (22) & P. Kane (17)
19:33 PHI PPG – Scott Hartnell (7) Backhand – Assists: D. Briere (17) & C. Pronger (14)

2nd Period
08:00 PHI Danny Briere (12) Snap Shot – Assists: V. Leino (13) & L. Krajicek (3)
09:58 CHI Patrick Sharp (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: D. Bolland (8) & D. Keith (15)
17:43 CHI Andrew Ladd (3) Tip-In – Assists: N. Hjalmarsson (7) & P. Kane (18)

3rd Period
16:01 PHI Scott Hartnell (8) Tip-In – Assists: V. Leino (14) & D. Briere (18)

OT Period
04:06 CHI Patrick Kane (10) Wrist Shot – Assists: B. Campbell (4)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
08:42 PHI Chris Pronger : Holding – 2 min
13:28 CHI Brent Sopel : Interference – 2 min
16:29 PHI Chris Pronger : Hi-sticking – 2 min
16:59 CHI Brent Seabrook : Elbowing – 2 min
19:07 CHI Brent Sopel : Interference – 2 min

2nd Period
01:56 PHI Scott Hartnell : Hi-sticking – 2 min
08:09 PHI Braydon Coburn : Cross checking – 2 min
09:29 CHI Marian Hossa : Interference on goalkeeper – 2 min
18:32 PHI Danny Briere : Cross checking – 2 min

3rd Period
none

OT Period
none

Game 3 – Stanley Cup Finals

6/2/10 4-3 OT Win CHI leads series 2-1 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total CHI 0 2 1 0 3 PHI 1 1 1 1 4 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total CHI 9 12 4 2 27 PHI 9 7 15 1 32

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

_______________________________________________________________________________

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Claude Giroux’s tally at the 5:59 mark of overtime lifted the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals from Wachovia Center.

The play began with Danny Briere carrying the puck down the left wing. He stopped below the circle, and dished to the point for Matt Carle. The young defenseman’s slap-pass found Giroux in the slot for a deft deflection that managed to trickle through Blackhawks netminder Antti Niemi and in.

Giroux finished with a goal and two assists for the Flyers, who got back in the series after a pair of one-goal defeats in Chicago to start the best-of- seven set and look to tie things up in Game 4 on Friday.

Scott Hartnell added a goal and one helper while Ville Leino and Briere also tallied. Michael Leighton stopped 24-of-27 shots for the win by Philadelphia, which had lost seven straight championship-round games dating back to Game 6 of the 1987 Finals against Edmonton.

Patrick Kane, Brent Sopel and Duncan Keith tallied for the Blackhawks, who could have taken a near-insurmountable 3-0 series edge with a victory.

Niemi yielded four scores on 32 shots in defeat.

The game-decider came less than a minute after the Flyers thought they had walked away with a key victory. Just after the five-minute mark of the extra session, the home team had a potential game-winner wiped out by replay.

Chris Pronger sent a lead pass to the left wing side for Simon Gagne, who pushed the puck into the Chicago zone to Jeff Carter. He dished back to Gagne, whose floater caromed on net. The disc hit the right post and slid all the way to the left side and parallel to the goal line, where Niemi covered up. Although Carter came in late to poke it into the cage, play was ruled to be dead at that point.

The Flyers were awarded the game’s first advantage when Chicago forward Marian Hossa was called for slashing, and Philadelphia cashed in on the back end of the two-minute minor.

Stationed in the high slot, Giroux fed to Braydon Coburn for a blast from the right point which Niemi stopped but could not control. Hartnell, while falling in front, pushed the puck across the crease to the left side for Briere, who swept the puck into an open net at 14:58.

For Briere, it was his team-best 11th score of the playoffs.

Mike Richards missed a golden chance from the right circle with an open net on a power play early in the second period and the Blackhawks responded when Keith’s point drive deflected off the stick of Carter for a 1-1 tie at 2:49.

Philly took a 2-1 edge on a man advantage just prior to the midway point of regulation on a play which was reviewed minutes after it occurred. Chris Pronger unleashed a shot from the point which knuckled in on net after a deflection from Hartnell and trickled through Niemi.

The puck rolled on edge and was swept away quickly, but a relatively brief review determined that the disc was fully over the line at 9:55.

Chicago didn’t convert on a power play with a little more than five minutes to play in the second when Leighton was given a delay-of-game call for pushing his net off the moorings, but nevertheless tied the game, 2-2, at 17:52 when John Madden won a right-circle faceoff to Sopel, who pushed a long shot through traffic and in.

Kane gave the Blackhawks their first lead of the contest, 3-2, at the 2:50 mark of the third period, taking a stretch pass from Jonathan Toews up the middle and scoring stick-side on the forehand.

Only 20 seconds later, Leino was right on the doorstep to slam home the rebound of a failed Giroux opportunity.

Game Notes

This was Giroux’s first-ever overtime goal, and his three points were his first time on the scoresheet in the series…It was also the Flyers’ first overtime win in the Cup Finals since Bobby Clarke scored in Game 2 of the 1974 series against Boston…Briere has five points (2G, 3A) in the Finals…Philadelphia improved to 3-1 in OT during these playoffs, while Chicago fell to 2-1…Chicago had been an NHL-best 7-1 on the road in this postseason, and has won seven in a row away from home prior to Wednesday…Philadelphia upped its home mark to 8-1 and has won six in a row in the Quaker City…Kane’s goal was his first point in the series, and Toews’ assist on the goal was his first point in the series…The Blackhawks haven’t won in a Cup Finals extra session since May 4, 1971, Game 1 of that set against Montreal.

Content Copyright 2007, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
14:58 PHI PPG – Danny Briere (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: S. Hartnell (8) & B. Coburn (3)

2nd Period
02:49 CHI Duncan Keith (2) Assists: P. Kane (14) & M. Hossa (12)
09:55 PHI PPG – Scott Hartnell (5) Assists: C. Pronger (13) & C. Giroux (10)
17:52 CHI Brent Sopel (1) Slap Shot – Assists: J. Madden (1)

3rd Period
02:50 CHI Patrick Kane (8) Snap Shot – Assists: J. Toews (20) & B. Eager (2)
03:10 PHI Ville Leino (6) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (11) & M. Carle (11)

OT Period
05:59 PHI Claude Giroux (9) Tip-In – Assists: M. Carle (12) & D. Briere (13)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
13:54 CHI Marian Hossa : Slashing – 2 min
18:05 PHI Daniel Carcillo : Charging – 2 min
20:00 CHI Dustin Byfuglien : Roughing – 2 min

2nd Period
03:36 PHI Chris Pronger : Hi-sticking – 2 min
09:31 CHI Dustin Byfuglien : Slashing – 2 min
14:59 PHI Michael Leighton served by Ville Leino : Delaying the game – 2 min

3rd Period
none

OT Period
none

Game 1 – Stanley Cup Finals

5/29/10 6-5 Loss SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 3 2 0 - 5 CHI 2 3 1 - 6 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 17 9 6 - 32 CHI 9 15 8 - 32

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

_______________________________________________________________________________

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – Tomas Kopecky supplied the game-winning goal 8:25 into the third period, as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated Philadelphia, 6-5, in a wild Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals from a raucous United Center.

Troy Brouwer registered two goals and one assist for the Blackhawks, who entered this round as the presumptive favorites after beating three teams with at least 100 points in the regular season, including a four-game sweep of the top-seeded San Jose Sharks, to claim the West title and advance to the Cup Finals for the first time since 1992.

Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg joined Kopecky with a goal and one helper for Chicago, while rookie Antti Niemi made 27 saves but clearly struggled at times with puck control.

“The first period, physically was a little jittery for both teams,” said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. “More so us, and even in the second I still think we were a little bit more emotional than we normally are. And then all of a sudden we picked up the tempo, and pace that we wanted to set and continue. That’s the standard we want to move on going forward to the next game.”

Chicago will host Game 2 on Monday.

Danny Briere had a goal and three assists and Scott Hartnell added a goal with two assists for Philadelphia, which has overcome a bevy of obstacles to reach the Cup Finals for the first time in 13 years.

The Flyers weathered a coaching change from John Stevens to Peter Laviolette in early December, injuries that ravaged the lineup, and needed a shootout win on the final day of the regular season to secure a playoff spot.

Once the postseason started, Philadelphia encountered more injury woes, losing forwards Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Ian Laperriere and goaltender Brian Boucher, but still managed to upset New Jersey in Round 1 and rally from an 0-3 series deficit to stun Boston in the semifinals.

The Flyers then dispatched world-beater Montreal in five games in the Eastern Conference finals.

Michael Leighton, drafted by Chicago in 1999, didn’t get much help from a leaky Flyers’ defense and was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 20 shots.

“I’m totally disappointed in the way I played,” Leighton said. “I felt all right. Every time they had a good chance they scored.”

Brian Boucher made 11 saves the rest of the way but allowed the decisive tally in his first action since injuring both knees in Game 5 of the semifinals against Boston on May 10.

“We’ve got to be a little bit better defensively than we were,” Laviolette admitted. “It wasn’t a lot of chances. It was probably a dozen chances for them. But some of them were point blank. We have to tighten it up right in front of our goal.”

Philadelphia and Chicago are both looking to end lengthy championship droughts. The Flyers last hoisted hockey’s symbol of excellence following a successful defense in 1975, while the Blackhawks are searching for their first title in 49 years, the longest current dry spell in the NHL.

Boucher made a sprawling save on Bolland 10 seconds into the third to keep the game tied, but the returning netminder couldn’t turn away Kopecky, who took a feed from Versteeg, outwaited the former Blackhawk as he moved below the left circle and slid the puck inside the near post.

The play started with Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook keeping the puck in the zone at the right point. Kopecky, a healthy scratch for the last five games, was in the lineup only because Andrew Ladd was unable to go because of an upper-body injury suffered in the series-clinching win versus San Jose.

“Remarkable comeback. Great play, good patience on the winning goal,” Quenneville said when asked about Kopecky. “I thought that line was very dangerous. Very affective. (Bolland) and (Versteeg) really complemented (Kopecky).”

Niemi snatched a Briere slapshot with two minutes left in regulation, the Flyers’ best chance at an equalizer.

“It’s the greatest trophy to win because it’s so hard,” Kopecky said. “This time of the year it’s all about the battle. Who wants it more is going to win. Today we wanted it more, but I think we can still be better.”

The Flyers and Blackhawks combined for five goals in a the opening period, with Philadelphia emerging with a 3-2 lead. It was the most goals scored in the first period of Game 1 in the Cup Finals since 1982, when the New York Islanders outscored Vancouver, 3-2.

The Flyers lit the lamp moments after failing to convert on the first power play of the series.

Briere kept the puck in at the offensive blueline and swept it to the right circle for Ville Leino, who fired a shot on goal. Niemi made the save with Hartnell planted outside the crease, but the rebound went in off Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson at 6:38.

Brouwer tied the game 68 seconds later on a nice feed from Marian Hossa, beating Leighton to the far side from the high slot.

A shorthanded goal by Bolland gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead. With Patrick Kane off for slashing, Philadelphia defenseman Braydon Coburn mishandled the puck at the Chicago blueline. Bolland gathered the puck and scored on a breakaway, firing a shot toward the gap in between Leighton’s legs. The disc trickled up the goaltender’s stick and snuck under his right arm at 11:50.

Hartnell pulled the Flyers even on the power play, scooping the rebound of Chris Pronger’s heavy point shot behind Niemi with 3:23 to play.

Philadelphia regained the lead when Briere jumped on a loose puck in the low slot and fired a shot over the fallen netminder with 26.1 seconds remaining in the first.

The two teams combined for five more goals in the middle stanza.

Chicago knotted the score at 3-3 1:11 into the middle stanza when Patrick Sharp, a former Flyer draftee, pushed the puck down the right side on an odd- man rush and beat Leighton over the left shoulder.

Blair Betts’ first goal of the playoffs made it 4-3 in favor of the visitors at 7:20 of the second, but Versteeg provided a rebuttal for the Blackhawks, pumping in his own rebound midway through the frame.

Chicago moved ahead 5-4 at 15:18 when Hossa dished from behind the Philadelphia net to Brouwer, who let go a shot earmarked for the top right corner.

A one-timer by Philadelphia forward Arron Asham from the left circle tied the game with 1:11 remaining.
Game Notes

Chicago leads the playoffs with four shorthanded goals, including two by Bolland…The Flyers finished 1-for-4 on the power play and were not whistled for a penalty…Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews had a 13-game point streak snapped. It was a franchise record for a single playoff year, surpassing Stan Mikita’s 11-game streak set in 1962…Toews, Kane and Dustin Byfuglien were each minus-3 for Chicago…The 11 combined goals was the most in a Cup Final game since Pittsburgh beat the Blackhawks 6-5 in Game 4 to complete the sweep in ’92…The Blackhawks’ win on Saturday was their first in a Cup Final since May 8, 1973. The Blackhawks had lost each of their past five Cup Final games…Philadelphia has lost six consecutive Cup Final games…The Flyers scored two goals in the final 2:04 of regulation, including Pronger’s game-winner with just 2.1 seconds left, to edge the Blackhawks 3-2 in the only regular-season meeting in Philadelphia on March 13…The Blackhawks and Flyers have met once previously in the playoffs, a four-game sweep by Chicago in the 1971 West Division quarterfinals…Pronger is playing in the Cup Finals for the third time in the past five years (Edmonton in 2006 and Anaheim in 2007)…Hossa became the first player in NHL history to appear in the Cup Finals for three consecutive seasons with different clubs: Pittsburgh (2008) and Detroit (2009)…This marks the third consecutive year that the visiting club in the Winter Classic has advanced to the Cup Finals. The Penguins traveled to Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo on January 1, 2008 and the Red Wings battled the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in Chicago a year later. The Flyers began 2010 by taking on the Bruins at Fenway Park in Boston…An Original Six club, Chicago is making its 11th appearance in the Cup Finals. For the Flyers, it is their eighth trip since entering the league in 1967…Laviolette is the eighth head coach to advance to the Cup Finals after joining his club during the season. He won the Stanley Cup as head coach with Carolina in 2006…Quenneville won a Stanley Cup in 1996 as an assistant with Colorado.

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SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
06:38 PHI Ville Leino (5) Wrist Shot – Assists: D. Briere (10) & C. Pronger (11)
07:46 CHI Troy Brouwer (3) Slap Shot – Assists: M. Hossa (10) & B. Sopel (4)
11:50 CHI SHG – Dave Bolland (6) Wrist Shot – Assists: none
16:37 PHI PPG – Scott Hartnell (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: D. Briere (11) & C. Pronger (12)
19:33 PHI Danny Briere (10) Wrist Shot – Assists: V. Leino (9) & S. Hartnell (6)

2nd Period
01:11 CHI Patrick Sharp (8) Wrist Shot – Assists: T. Brouwer (2) & N. Hjalmarsson (5)
07:20 PHI Blair Betts (1) Slap Shot – Assists: A. Asham (3) & D. Powe (1)
09:31 CHI Kris Versteeg (5) Wrist Shot – Assists: T. Kopecky (2) & D. Keith (10)
15:18 CHI Troy Brouwer (4) Snap Shot – Assists: M. Hossa (11) & N. Hjalmarsson (6)
18:49 PHI Arron Asham (4) Slap Shot – Assists: D. Briere (12) & S. Hartnell (7)

3rd Period
08:25 CHI Tomas Kopecky (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: K. Versteeg (6) & D. Bolland (6)

PENALTY SUMMARY

1st Period
03:26 CHI Ben Eager : Cross checking – 2 min
09:58 CHI Patrick Kane : Slashing – 2 min
15:51 CHI Brian Campbell : Hi-sticking – 2 min

2nd Period
04:49 CHI Adam Burish : Boarding – 2 min

3rd Period
NONE

Game 3 – Eastern Conference Finals

5/20/10 5-1 Loss PHI leads series 2-1 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 0 0 1 - 1 MON 2 1 2 - 5 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 9 9 8 - 26 MON 17 11 10 - 38

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Montreal, QC (Sports Network) – Jaroslav Halak made 25 saves, as the Montreal Canadiens shoved back with a convincing 5-1 victory over Philadelphia in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals at Bell Centre.

The eighth-seeded Canadiens finally solved playoff novice Michael Leighton, who registered consecutive shutouts by turning away all 58 shots Montreal had fired at him in the first two games of this series.

Dominic Moore and Tom Pyatt both picked up a goal and one assist for the Habs, while Michael Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Marc-Andre Bergeron also tallied.

“(Halak) made some big saves early in the game,” said Montreal head coach Jacques Martin. “I think that (Philadelphia) had three chances in the first five minutes of the hockey game. Then after that I think our team kind of took over and played a strong game at both ends of the ice.”

Montreal has been resilient this postseason, rallying from a 3-1 series deficit against Washington and a 3-2 hole against defending champion Pittsburgh in Round 2. The Canadiens will look to even this best-of-seven set when they host Game 4 on Saturday.

“We moved the puck much better tonight,” Gionta said. “We entered their zone a lot better tonight. Our forecheck was good.”

Simon Gagne scored in the third period for the seventh-seeded Flyers, who sported a 24-8 advantage in goals during their six-game winning streak.

A journeyman goalie claimed off of waivers by Philadelphia for the second time in his career back in December, Leighton had won four straight since taking over the starting job after Brian Boucher hurt both knees during Game 5 against Boston.

The Ontario native, who turned 29 on Wednesday, finished with 33 saves.

“I’m not going to dwell on them scoring that many goals. We know we have to play better defensively and offensively,” Leighton said.

The Canadiens rediscovered their scoring touch, beating Leighton twice in the first period.

Montreal rookie defenseman P.K. Subban unloaded a shot from the right point that sailed wide of the net and caromed off the glass. The puck came around the near post and Cammalleri jumped on the loose disc, sending it behind Leighton at 7:05.

Cammalleri’s NHL-leading 13th goal of the playoffs snapped Leighton’s shutout streak at 172 minutes, 55 seconds. He hadn’t allowed a goal since the first period of Game 7 versus the Bruins.

A ghastly turnover by Philadelphia’s Chris Pronger in the defensive zone resulted in a 2-0 lead for the home team. Moore gathered in the puck, and fired a wrister from the right wing. Maxim Lapierre tipped the shot off the near post before Pyatt pushed in the rebound at 16:52.

“Turnovers in any sport will kill you,” said Philadelphia head coach Peter Laviolette. “Doesn’t matter what sport it is. When things usually go south, no matter what sport, coach will sit up here and tell you the turnovers cost us the game. So we have to do a better job of fighting for the puck and keeping the puck.”

Moore made it a 3-0 game on a broken play in the high slot, snapping a low shot through Leighton’s pads at 11:33 of the middle stanza.

Gionta provided insurance two minutes into the third, breaking clear in the slot and sliding a shot under Leighton’s pad at the right post.

Gagne put the Flyers on the board at 8:22, but Bergeron capped the offensive surge with a power-play goal in the final minute.

Game Notes

Subban collected three assists…Montreal defenseman Roman Hamrlik had two assists and a plus-four rating…Pronger was a minus-3…Boucher owns the longest scoreless streak in Philadelphia playoff history, playing 184:45 of shutout hockey in the 2000 postseason…The Habs won for the first time in the 2010 playoffs when outshooting their opponents (1-5)…Montreal finished 1- for-7 on the power play. Philadelphia was a perfect 8-for-8 on the penalty kill in the first two games…Gagne has recorded a point in each of his seven games since returning from a broken toe…The Canadiens played the 700th postseason game in franchise history…The last goaltender to post a shutout in three straight playoff games was Ilya Bryzgalov with Anaheim in 2006…Leighton started four games for the Flyers after being claimed on waivers from Nashville during the 2006-07 campaign, going 2-2-0 with a 3.69 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage.

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Scoring Summary

1st Period
07:05 MTL Michael Cammalleri (13) Wrist Shot – Assists: P. Subban (4) & R. Hamrlik (7)
16:52 MTL Tom Pyatt (2) Tip-In – Assists: M. Lapierre (1) & D. Moore (1)

2nd Period
11:33 MTL Dominic Moore (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: T. Pyatt (2) & J. Gorges (2)

3rd Period
02:00 MTL Brian Gionta (8) Wrist Shot – Assists: R. Hamrlik (8) & P. Subban (5)
08:22 PHI Simon Gagne (7) Wrist Shot – Assists: D. Carcillo (4) & C. Pronger (9)
19:29 MTL Marc-Andre Bergeron (2) Slap Shot – Assists: P. Subban (6) & S. Gomez (11)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
00:27 MTL Ryan O’Byrne : Delaying Game-Puck over glass – 2 min
10:21 PHI Daniel Carcillo : Tripping – 2 min
18:27 PHI Chris Pronger : Tripping – 2 min
19:35 PHI Braydon Coburn : Hooking – 2 min

2nd Period
06:09 MTL Maxim Lapierre : Slashing – 2 min
08:24 PHI Ville Leino : Hooking – 2 min
13:03 PHI Kimmo Timonen : Roughing – 2 min
13:03 MTL Andrei Kostitsyn : Roughing – 2 min

3rd Period
03:37 MTL Tomas Plekanec : Roughing – 2 min
03:37 PHI Braydon Coburn : Roughing – 2 min
14:07 MTL Josh Gorges : Holding – 2 min
18:09 PHI Chris Pronger : Interference – 2 min
18:09 MTL Roman Hamrlik : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
18:09 PHI Scott Hartnell : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
18:09 PHI Mike Richards : Roughing – 2 min
18:09 PHI Danny Briere : Slashing – 2 min
18:09 MTL Jaroslav Spacek : Roughing – 2 min
18:09 MTL Jaroslav Spacek : Slashing – 2 min
19:01 PHI Braydon Coburn : Closing hand on puck – 2 min

Game 7 – Eastern Conference Semis

05/14/10 4-3 Win PHI wins series 4-3 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 1 2 1 - 4 BOS 3 0 0 - 3 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 8 11 8 - 27 BOS 14 6 5 - 25

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Game Wrapup

Philadelphia Flyers 4, Boston Bruins 3

Boston, MA (Sports Network) – Simon Gagne registered the game-deciding power- play goal with 7:08 left in regulation as the Philadelphia Flyers etched their names in the NHL record book with a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Philadelphia, which stared down the barrel of a three-games-to-none series deficit, rallied back to win the final four games of the set and became the first team since the 1975 New York Islanders to win a postseason series when trailing 3-0.

Only two other teams in professional sports have rallied to win despite facing such a deficit — the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 2004 Boston Red Sox.

The Flyers clinched their trip to the conference finals by doing it the hard way, as they climbed back from a 3-0 first-period hole. James van Riemsdyk, Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere all scored to erase Boston’s advantage.

A victory for the ages, it also marked the first time Philly rallied from a three-goal margin to win in a series-clinching contest since it took the 1974 quarterfinals against the Atlanta Flames with an overtime decision in Game 4.

Ville Leino added a pair of assists for the seventh-seeded Flyers, who open up the next round at home on Sunday against the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens.

It will mark the first time since the current playoff format was adopted in 1994 that the lowest two seeds in either conference will vie for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Michael Leighton was beaten three times in the opening period but finished with 22 stops for Philadelphia, which improved to 8-6 all-time in Game 7s and has won its last two ultimate games on the road.

Milan Lucic tallied twice and Michael Ryder once for the Bruins, who failed in their quest to reach the conference finals for the first time since 1992 in a failure of epic proportions.

Tuukka Rask allowed four goals on 27 shots in defeat for Boston, which suffered the loss one year to the day of a 3-2 overtime setback against Carolina in a Game 7 at home in the Eastern semis.

Gagne registered his fourth goal of the postseason on a Flyers advantage, thanks to a bench minor penalty on the Bruins for too many men on the ice. That came with 8:50 to play in regulation.

Leino cycled the puck behind the Boston net and fed to Mike Richards in the right circle. His intended centering pass deflected off a body in front, where Gagne gathered and flicked it high into the net inside the left post to give the visitors a 4-3 advantage.

Leighton was not seriously tested for the remainder of the contest, but was the beneficiary of a shot that skittered off the post with six minutes left. He also stymied Lucic’s bid for the hat trick on a quick pad save with 3:50 to play.

Expert forechecking pressure kept the puck deep in the Bruins’ zone and Rask was not able to get to the bench for an extra attacker until 1:07 remained. The Flyers cleared the zone three times down the stretch and the home team was powerless to prevent the inevitable.

Things looked significantly brighter for Boston in the early going.

The Bruins were awarded the game’s first power play and made the Flyers pay only eight seconds into it when Ryder one-timed the rebound of a Zdeno Chara shot past Leighton at the right post at 5:27.

It was 2-0 at 9:02 on the following Boston advantage. Dennis Wideman carried down the right wing and when Flyers defenseman Matt Carle failed to check him, he was able to slip away and dish across for Lucic for a tap-in from the left side.

Despite almost a minute of offensive pressure from Philly with six minutes left in the first period, the Bruins broke out on an odd-man rush which saw Lucic finish off a 2-on-1 by pumping a shot through Leighton’s pads at 14:10 for a 3-0 contest.

Van Riemsdyk, though, picked up his first career playoff tally with 2:48 to play in the first as his shot trickled through Rask from the slot.

Hartnell cut the Flyers’ deficit to 3-2 at 2:49 of the second period, when he followed up a spinning chance by Leino and lifted a precision backhander over a prone Rask and under the crossbar from a sharp angle.

Briere then knotted the game at 8:39, when he circled behind the Bruins’ net from right to left and banked a shot off the stick and backside of defenseman Matt Hunwick and into a half-open cage.

A tense moment occurred with just over five minutes to play, when a puck that sailed high in the air above Rask settled in the crease amidst a scrum of players.

The initial call on the ice was no goal, and although one replay seemed to show the disc on edge and over the goal line, a lengthy review determined the shot was not successful. Despite the setback, the teams were knotted, 3-3, after two periods.

Philadelphia nearly jumped out to the lead roughly four minutes into the third, but Chris Pronger’s blistering point drive clanged off the crossbar.

Game Notes

Gagne has posted all four of his goals in the last four games…Lucic recorded his first career multi-goal playoff game…Chara, the Bruins’ captain, fell to 0-5 in Game 7s…The Flyers improved to 3-3 all-time on road in Game 7s, while the Bruins fell to 9-6 all-time at home in Game 7s…Boston also fell to 9-10 overall in Game 7s, and have failed in their last four tests in this situation, having not won since defeating Montreal to win a 1994 Eastern Conference quarterfinal series…Philadelphia has now won three of the five postseason series with Boston…The Flyers and Canadiens last played for a trip to the Cup Finals in 1989, a series which saw Montreal advance with a six-game triumph.
Last updated: May 14, 2010 at 10:39 PM
Content Copyright 2007, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
05:27 BOS PPG – Michael Ryder (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Recchi (4) & Z. Chara (5)
09:02 BOS PPG – Milan Lucic (4) Snap Shot – Assists: D. Wideman (11) & J. Boychuk (4)
14:10 BOS Milan Lucic (5) Snap Shot – Assists: none
17:12 PHI James van Riemsdyk (1) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (6)

2nd Period
02:49 PHI Scott Hartnell (2) Backhand – Assists: V. Leino (4) & D. Briere (8)
08:39 PHI Danny Briere (7) Wrap-Around – Assists: S. Hartnell (4)

3rd Period
12:52 PHI PPG – Simon Gagne (4) Snap Shot – Assists: M. Richards (12) & V. Leino (5)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
05:19 PHI Scott Hartnell : Hi-sticking – 2 min
07:41 PHI Danny Briere : Hi-sticking – 2 min

2nd Period
06:01 BOS Marc Savard : Hooking – 2 min
09:07 PHI Daniel Carcillo : Hi-sticking – 2 min
12:34 BOS Johnny Boychuk : Hooking – 2 min

3rd Period
11:10 BOS Shawn Thornton : Too many men/ice – bench – 2 min