Flyers Beat Hawks in OT Play

The Philadelphia Flyers made good use of their home ice advantage, grabbing their first win of the Stanley Cup finals in overtime play.

With a goal by Philly's Claude Giroux just under six minutes into overtime play, the Flyers beat the Blackhawks, 4-3.

Game 3 started fast and furious with the first power play of the game coming from Philly's Danny Briere, who scored his 11th goal of the playoffs late in the first to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.

But the Hawks weren't resting on their laurels. Duncan Keith's second goal of the playoffs early in the second tied it at 1. Keith scored on a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle when his shot deflected off Flyers forward Jeff Carter's stick.

The Flyers went up 2-1 when Chris Pronger was credited with his fifth goal of the postseason following a video review. Pronger's power-play goal midway through the second period took a couple minutes of playing time and review time before going up on the scoreboard.

Brent Sopel scored his first goal of the playoffs to pull the Chicago Blackhawks into a 2-2 tie during the second. Sopel beat Michael Leighton with a one-timer after John Madden won a faceoff late in the period.

The third period saw the Hawks immediately gain the upper hand, with winger Patrick Kane landing a breakaway goal.  The celebrating in Chicago didn't last long.  Philadelphia recovered almost instantly.

Regulation play ended with the teams tied 3-3.  It was fourth overtime for the Flyers, who went 2-1 in the postseason, and the third OT for the Hawks.  Marian Hossa and Dustin Byfuglien had the game winners in the other two games.

It was the first Stanley Cup finals game at the Wachovia Center in 13 years in front of a boisterous sellout crowd of 20,297 -- the largest ever to watch an NHL game in Pennsylvania.

The Flyers haven't won a Stanley Cup championship since the second of consecutive titles in 1975.

Game 4 is Friday at 7 p.m. in Philadelphia.  Television coverage is on Versus.  Game 5 is Sunday, back in Chicago, at 7 p.m.  Television coverage is on NBC Chicago.

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