Flyers, Habs don't need to make up motivation for Game 3

So was it a cowardly act, as the Philadelphia Flyers insist, or a measured response to an apparent affront, as the Montreal Canadiens counter?

Does its really matter if Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos sucker-punched snickering Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen after Philadelphia scored its clinching goal in Game 2, or actually gave him something more along the lines of a face wash?

Maxim Lapierre said the Habs won't forget the Flyers laughing at them in Game 2. (US Presswire)

Probably not.

The Canadiens and Flyers don't need a manufactured reason to not like each other, so the feigned indignation and hints of retribution by coaches and a few players on both sides heading into Game 3 on Monday night aren't necessary to stir things up. Several encounters along the boards and near the goalies have already done the trick in this conference semifinal, the only one of four tied after two games.

"And I don't think it's going to slow down," said Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau.

That's actually a good thing for the Canadiens, who need to find a way to set the tone more with their speed and jump. The Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed came into this round as a decided favorite but has struggled against a team it beat four times this season by a combined 15-6.

There also has been an uncomfortable familiarity about it for the Canadiens, who barely survived a seven-game set in the first round against Boston after going 8-0 against the Bruins during the season. Montreal, with its league-best offense and power play, was expected to run over the Bruins with its speed and skill. Instead, Boston's underestimated defense got better and more physical with each game and increasingly kept Montreal to the outside as the series progressed.

The Flyers, who like to hit even more than the Bruins, employed much the same type of containment strategy in upsetting Washington in their seven-game opening-round victory, and they have done a good job carrying it over against Montreal. The Canadiens have been able to generate speed through the neutral zone at times, but when they cross the Flyers blue line, they are generally headed to the outside and end up trying to make plays from the perimeter.

So while Montreal has two high-end scoring lines, neither has been able to make much happen, especially when Timonen and defense partner Braydon Coburn are on the ice. There have been some opportunities for the Canadiens against the lead-footed duo of Derian Hatcher and Randy Jones, but they have led to breakaways that Montreal has not been able to convert.

Those missed opportunities are starting to become an acute problem against the Flyers, because Daniel Briere is on fire and triggering an offense that can generate a more dangerous and sustained attack than the Bruins, and goalie Martin Biron is turning into an early Conn Smythe candidate.

"He's raised the bar," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "There's a level of play from Marty we're starting to expect."

And maybe take for granted as well. The Flyers have been the better team in terms of territorial play in this series, but not by much when you consider the Canadiens have gotten back into both games after falling behind 2-0 despite great performances from Biron.

Philadelphia has done a good job creating chances by getting to the net off their cycle and getting into the face of Montreal rookie goalie Carey Price, who has looked a little off as a result. But several of their goals have been lucky. If the Flyers start to get too aggressive now that they are at home, and get called for it, they will get themselves into trouble.

Same goes for the Canadiens for that matter, since the teams finished 1-2 in power play success this season. That would suggest cooler heads prevail all around, right?

"They were laughing at us at the end of the game," Montreal's Maxim Lapierre said. "You'll always remember that at the next game."