(CHICAGO,IL)  In Games Three and Four of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Philadelphia Flyers tried to wrest control of the series by ratcheting up the physical nature of the game play.  It worked.  The boys from the City of Brotherly Love showed none as they evened things up.  Back in Chicago for the fifth game, Blackhawks left winger Dustin Byfuglien knew that his team had to respond in kind.  “We had to come back with some fire and just get on them and show them that we weren't going to quit,” he said after Chicago finessed and fought their way to a 7-4 win on Sunday night. “Right from the get-go we just moved our feet and stayed physical.”  Big Buff had two goals and two assists to give his team a 3-2 edge in the series.

Five of his other teammates also scored with the same balanced attack the Chicagoans have displayed all series.  Coach Joel Quenneville once again tinkered with his lines by splitting number one line and placing his three stars on separate lines. “I thought we had good energy right from the outset, he stated after the game. “Great pace.  Had speed on all the lines.  I think there was some balance as far as offensive ability, reliability defensively.  Kept that pace from start to finish.”  Patrick Kane found out about the changes just before the game.  “It didn't really matter who played with who tonight, to be honest with you,” he said.  “I think everyone just had the energy, and we had to make sure we wanted to win.”

Chicago got the first of their three first period goals when Brent Seabrook took a pass from Kris Versteeg and drifted left of the net before firing a shot past netminder Michael Leighton.  The Hawks went up by two goals when Dave Bolland tucked a puck just behind the lower left corner of the Flyers net.  Kris Versteeg made it 3-0 when he sent a rocket from just inside the Philly blue line to notch his sixth playoff goal. 

At that point the Flyers changed goalies.   When queried about the decision to pull Leightion, all Flyers coach Peter Laviolette would say was, “We weren’t very good in the first period.”  Scott Hartnell, who has been a thorn in Chicago’s side all series got the Flyers on the board before most fasn got back in their seats after the first intermission.  He scored on a rebound off of Antti Nieme barely thirty-two seconds into the period.  But Patrick Kane came right back in less than three minutes, taking a feed from Andrew Ladd for his ninth goal of the postseason.

The Flyers never got closer than two goals, as Chicago seemed to answer every Philadelphia attempt to close the gap.  They were almost methodical, especially in the power play.  “That's exactly what we're looking for.  Quick puck movement and you saw the play, [Patrick] Sharp to me, to  [Duncan] Keith to [Jonathan Toews]Tazer and a great pass to Buff.  It was off our stick within two seconds every time,” said Kane in reference to Byfuglien’s goal to make the score 5-2.

From that point on, just as in game two, the Blackhawks had to go on the defensive.  One of the most critical defensive stops Chicago had was when they successfully killed off a power play after Versteeg was sent to the box for slashing with 9:32 left in the third.

So now it is back to Philadelphia for game six.  Either Chicago will end its forty-nine year cup drought on Wednesday or will return to Chicago on Friday for a chance to win at home.  Hossa gets a third try to win a Cup and knows what to expect.  “We know it's going to be the toughest game to close it.  Having been in that situation, especially last year, the momentum in the first shift next game, first goal going to be so important to get the momentum like tonight.” Brian Campbell commented, "It's a huge opportunity for us, and we have to work even harder than before."

Check out our post game audio in the media player:

Part A - Kris Versteeg, John Madden, Duncan Keith, and Brian Campbell in the locker room, plus coaches Joel Quenneville, and Peter Laviolette at the podium.

Part B - Dustin Byfuglien/Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane