Max Talbot

Here is Inquirer staff writer Sam Carchidi's key to the game: Max Talbot's early shorthanded goal, a dribbler than got past Marc-Andre Fleury, tied the game at 1-1, took away the Pens' momentum, and started a horrendous afternoon for the goalie.

The Flyers will apparently have to restructure the five-year, $9 million contract they gave to free-agent forward Max Talbot on Friday. According to TSN, the Flyers violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement by reducing Talbot's salary by more than 50 percent between the third and fourth years - from $2.25 million to $1 million. Barry Hanrahan, the Flyers' assistant general manager, downplayed the matter and said no fine was forthcoming. "We haven't heard from the league," he said in a text message on Monday.

Pens miss Staal No one player can replace Jordan Staal, so the Penguins will try to fill in by committee. Those were the Penguins' marching orders Saturday after it was learned that Staal will be out indefinitely following foot surgery to repair a sliced tendon. "Matchup-wise it is a little bit different than what [I'd want]," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "Jordan was a guy that we'd put, on most occasions, against their best line or best centerman. " With Staal out, Bylsma said the Penguins will have to lean on Matt Cooke, Max Talbot, Craig Adams, and Pascal Dupuis.

Popular misconception: Defense and goaltending win Stanley Cups. Oh, they help, no question. And the Flyers wouldn't mind if goalie Ilya Bryzgalov somehow came close to matching his stunning regular-season numbers against New Jersey - a 0.29 goal-against average (gulp) and .987 save percentage (double gulp) - in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But for folks to dismiss the Flyers' Cup chances because their defense has been glaringly inconsistent this season, well, that would be foolish.

The getting-stranger-by-the-shift series between the Flyers and their cross-state pals from Pittsburgh has resembled a glorified men's league. Only most men's leagues likely have better goaltending. The playoffs are usually tight-checking, low-scoring goalie duels. Kind of like the admirable way the Flyers played in the last six weeks of the regular season. In the first four games of the Flyers-Penguins shootathon, the teams have combined for an astounding 45 goals.

PITTSBURGH - Holding court before a gaggle of reporters, Max Talbot said Game 1 played out on Wednesday night exactly the way he thought it would. No, Talbot wasn't talking about the Flyers' ridiculous three-goal comeback. But having donned the proud sweaters of both of the franchises in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal death match over the last two seasons, he knew better than to expect the overblown nastiness on Wednesday. "I heard some quotes, that it's going to be a bloodbath," Talbot said.

The Detroit Red Wings skated into Pittsburgh for this very game last year, outplayed the Penguins in their building and, in the final indignity, paraded with the Stanley Cup on the same ice where Mario Lemieux once played. Think Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury don't remember the emptiness and frustration they felt after that Stanley Cup finals Game 6? After more than 100 games played over more than 8 grueling months, the season ends and the other team celebrates in front of your friends, family and fans?

Twenty minutes after their Pittsburgh Comeback Tour was over, after the Flyers had pulled another escape that would have made Harry Houdini proud, Max Talbot was so exhausted he could barely move. The Flyers' hardworking forward had scored a shorthanded goal, assisted on another shorty, and compiled a career-best plus-5 rating - and he didn't have the energy to talk about it. His jersey drenched with sweat, Talbot sat in front of his locker after the Flyers' had-to-see-it-to- believe-it 8-5 win Friday over his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he was approached by a swarm of reporters.

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are headed back to the Stanley Cup finals. Max Talbot had a goal and an assist to help the Penguins beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1, last night in Raleigh, N.C., to complete a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference final. Pittsburgh lost to Detroit last year in a six-game final series. Ruslan Fedotenko and Bill Guerin also scored, and Craig Adams added an empty-net goal. Crosby had two assists to extend his point streak to six games, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 30 shots.

Sergei Gonchar said it once, then repeated it again a few seconds later as he tried pumping some confidence into some discouraged teammates: It's not over. Thanks to Gonchar's power-play goal midway through the third period that revived the Penguins after the Detroit Red Wings pressed for the go-ahead score, the Stanley Cup finals are far from over for Pittsburgh following a 4-2 victory in Game 3 last night. Game 4, which could have been an elimination game for Pittsburgh, will be back at Mellon Arena tomorrow night with the Penguins trying to square the series at 2-2. "This series is where it should be," said Detroit coach Mike Babcock.

Popular misconception: Defense and goaltending win Stanley Cups. Oh, they help, no question. And the Flyers wouldn't mind if goalie Ilya Bryzgalov somehow came close to matching his stunning regular-season numbers against New Jersey - a 0.29 goal-against average (gulp) and .987 save percentage (double gulp) - in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But for folks to dismiss the Flyers' Cup chances because their defense has been glaringly inconsistent this season, well, that would be foolish.

With his skates finally untied and his equipment shed, Max Talbot took an extra second to soak in the emotion and glory of eliminating the Penguins team he had spent the last six seasons with before a low-ball offer sent him to the Flyers last summer. All season, Talbot said he had a feeling the Flyers and Penguins would meet in the first round - an eventuality he was well-prepared to face. Talbot just missed wide on an empty-net goal in the final minutes that would have been sweet icing on an emphatic but emotionally draining series.

ABOUT 10 SECONDS before the puck dropped on Sunday afternoon, shortly after "my home sweet home" simultaneously slipped from the mouths of Kate Smith and Lauren Hart, Claude Giroux circled by Danny Briere at the Flyers' bench. "He came over to me and said, 'Watch the first shift,' " Briere said. In one 32-second burst, Giroux quelled the fears of a quiet, on-edge, capacity crowd at the Wells Fargo Center with a first shift out of a scene in the cult-classic flick "Slap Shot.

The getting-stranger-by-the-shift series between the Flyers and their cross-state pals from Pittsburgh has resembled a glorified men's league. Only most men's leagues likely have better goaltending. The playoffs are usually tight-checking, low-scoring goalie duels. Kind of like the admirable way the Flyers played in the last six weeks of the regular season. In the first four games of the Flyers-Penguins shootathon, the teams have combined for an astounding 45 goals.

Here is Inquirer staff writer Sam Carchidi's key to the game: Max Talbot's early shorthanded goal, a dribbler than got past Marc-Andre Fleury, tied the game at 1-1, took away the Pens' momentum, and started a horrendous afternoon for the goalie.

Twenty minutes after their Pittsburgh Comeback Tour was over, after the Flyers had pulled another escape that would have made Harry Houdini proud, Max Talbot was so exhausted he could barely move. The Flyers' hardworking forward had scored a shorthanded goal, assisted on another shorty, and compiled a career-best plus-5 rating - and he didn't have the energy to talk about it. His jersey drenched with sweat, Talbot sat in front of his locker after the Flyers' had-to-see-it-to- believe-it 8-5 win Friday over his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he was approached by a swarm of reporters.

PITTSBURGH - Holding court before a gaggle of reporters, Max Talbot said Game 1 played out on Wednesday night exactly the way he thought it would. No, Talbot wasn't talking about the Flyers' ridiculous three-goal comeback. But having donned the proud sweaters of both of the franchises in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal death match over the last two seasons, he knew better than to expect the overblown nastiness on Wednesday. "I heard some quotes, that it's going to be a bloodbath," Talbot said.

ED BARKOWITZ PETER LAVIOLETTE won't be the league's coach of the year, the Blues' Ken Hitchcock will. But Laviolette has done a remarkable job keeping the ice beneath the Flyers' skates from turning into water. His reward for leading the Flyers to 103 points is getting the Penguins (108 points) in the first round. What it lacks in fairness, it makes up for in wonderful intrigue. The Flyers have to stay out of the penalty box and physical defenseman Nick Grossmann, who missed the last week of the season with a knee injury, has to be at least 85 percent.

BOSTON - Perhaps the Flyers should send a request to the NHL offices: Do not include afternoon games on our schedule. Pretty please. With goalie Tim Thomas snapping out of a slump and Patrice Bergeron netting the game-winner in a shootout, the Boston Bruins ended a four-game losing streak - and continued the Flyers' afternoon woes - as they scored a 3-2 win Saturday at TD Garden. The Flyers are 3-8-2 in early afternoon games this season, losing their last six. This matinee loss, however, was easier to accept than others.

BOSTON - Perhaps the Flyers should send a request to the NHL offices: Do not include afternoon games on our schedule. Pretty please. With goalie Tim Thomas snapping out of a slump and Patrice Bergeron netting the game-winner in a shootout, the Boston Bruins ended a four-game losing streak - and continued the Flyers' afternoon woes - as they scored a 3-2 win Saturday at TD Garden. The Flyers are 3-8-2 in early afternoon games this season, losing their last six. This matinee loss, however, was easier to accept than others.