All three games played so far in the Stanley Cup Final have been there for the taking by either club but the team that played a little better overall has won each of the games. It is still imperative that the Flyers hold serve on home ice on Friday, and I don't believe either team has a significant edge heading into that tilt tomorrow. Each game is a fresh start.

Following are some notes and observations from the game last night:

* After Game 2, Claude Giroux, Kimmo Timonen and others noted to Ek the biggest adjustment the team made in that contest, which allowed the club to spend so much of the third period in the Chicago zone after being stymied for most of the opening 40 minutes. The Flyers did not win the game, but started to get a better read on the Blackhawks after the aberration of the wide-open first two periods of Game 1.

Chicago's defensive strategy is designed around trying to get opponents to carry the puck up ice and then taking away their space. When opponents get the puck in deep, usually by putting it in the corners and forcing the defense to go get it, the Hawks have been more vulnerable to getting pinned in their own end.

The team that gave Chicago the most trouble in the playoffs in the first three rounds--- the Nashville Predators -- enjoyed some success by getting pucks in deep but lacked the depth of firepower to capitalize on the wear-down effect as games progressed.

Early in last night's game, the Flyers reverted to being too reliant on trying to carry the puck into the zone. As the game progressed, they got more and more pucks in deep and that, in turn, opened up more line-rush opportunities. There was a definite wear-down effect on the Hawks over the course of last night's game, and that showed up in the third period and overtime.

* Michael Leighton came up with some difficult and timely saves but looked pretty shaky for much of the game. He appeared to be playing too far back in his crease and was dropping to the ice too quickly. On the first Chicago goal, the puck was deflected by Jeff Carter. On the second, he was partially screened by Lukas Krajicek. He still had a chance at both saves, but they would have been tougher than meets the eye. On Patrick Kane's breakaway goal, Leighton did not challenge at all and the dangerous Kane was never forced to make a move. He simply picked his spot and rifled it past the goaltender.

At the other end of the ice, Antti Niemi gave the Flyers a gift on their first goal. He dropped a rebound that he appeared to have in his glove and, after a tremendous effort by Scott Hartnell to get the puck over to Danny Briere, was then rendered helpless. The other Philly goals were off deflections (Hartnell and Claude Giroux's game-winner in OT) and an outstanding effort by Claude Giroux to create space on the rush and Ville Leino to hustle to get into scoring position.

* Apart from the hustle and puck skills he's shown in the offensive end, Leino has been great defensively as well. Last night, he made several backchecking plays that reminded me of ex-Flyer Ilkka Sinisalo in his prime. Whichever line he was skating on -- whether with Danny Briere or Claude Giroux -- was usually the club's most effective combo.

* Scott Hartnell deserved all the criticism he received during the regular season and early in the playoffs. Since then, he has finally gotten back on track and has played two of his best games as a Flyer in the last couple games. Last night he was hitting everything that moved and making life tough on the Hawks down low in the offensive zone.

* Mike Richards' line looks to be pressing offensively but their struggles in the series have been balanced off by the modest overall output so far from Chicago's Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. Richards, Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter all had scoring chances last night but were not able to hit the net on their best chances. Carter still appears to be laboring with his skating.

* On the Hawks' second goal, Richards had virtually zero chance of winning the draw against John Madden. The wily Hawks forward did not have his stick on the ice and was cheating with his feet before the drop of the puck. I don't fault Madden at all for doing it -- he was trying to gain an edge, as all vets do -- but I do fault the linesman. The puck shouldn't have been dropped until Madden was forced to get his stick back on the ice and his feet set. Hey, such is hockey and those sorts of things happen every game and are only memorable when an important goal is scored right off the draw.

* Peter Laviolette completely dropped Oskars Bartulis from the defensive rotation after four first period shifts. Krajicek, who makes me nervous every time he is out on the ice, mostly played with Braydon Coburn thereafter.

* Coburn has been very, very good for most of the playoffs after a subpar regular season. He had a rough plus-minus night last night but he only held a share of the blame on the sequence leading up to Kane's breakaway goal.

* Matt Carle made some fine plays and some head-scratching puck management decisions in the course of last night's game, and was able to make some timely recoveries with his quick stick. Pretty much par for the course.


*************

The NHL, not the Flyers, run the credentialing show at the Wachovia Center during the Finals. The league has tried to accommodate as many media outlets as possible and the staff has been friendly and approachable while doing an extremely tough and thankless task. That said, things were pretty bumpy last night in terms of the arrangements.

With the main pressbox filled beyond capacity -- and many of the spaces going to "stakesholders" and assorted newspaper people who rarely if ever cover hockey during the season along with the core hockey newsprint beat writers-- a large contingent has been bumped to an "auxiliary pressbox" created in a section of the mezzanine level.

Personally, I am happy to be credentialed for the Stanley Cup Final in any capacity and I actually enjoyed being able to soak up the environment in the stands rather than sitting physically removed from it in the balcony as I do the rest of the year. It did not really matter to me that it was a trek to try to catch the freight elevator that takes the media to the event floor for postgame interviews, because I wasn't on deadline.

However, when people like Bob McKenzie and Ray Ferraro also get bumped from the main press box to sit in the makeshift section -- sorry, but something is wrong with the arrangement. It is also wrong when someone the stature of Bill Barber has to stand around in the credentialing trailer outside the Flyers home arena waiting for a pass to enter the building.

Everyone is in the same boat and trying to make the best of it, but I can't help but think there has to be a better way to prioritize certain people who've contributed enough to the sport to deserve it.

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