  Michael Leighton makes a save on Tomas Kopecky as Simon Gagne looks on. (Alex Urosevic/QMI Agency) |
PHILADELPHIA - As this Stanley Cup final now turns into at least a six-game series, one thing is becoming clearer with the passing of each shift, each period, each game.
The longer it goes, the more it becomes Chris Pronger’s to own.
Thanks again to his towering presence - and a horrible night for Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson - the Flyers tied the best-of-seven final 2-2 with a 5-3 win at the Wachovia Center.
Game 5 will be in Chicago Sunday night with Game 6 back here Wednesday.
Pronger has put his imprint on this series both on and off the ice. Friday night he once again showed how thoroughly and completely he is capable of owning the ’Hawks top line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien.
He has thrust himself into the discussion about who should win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs most valuable performer.
“This, right now, is why we did that trade. People said we gave up a lot for him, but he’s everything what management thought he would be,” said Flyers winger Simon Gagne. “He plays 35 minutes a game. It definitely helps when your best defenceman is on the ice for more than half the game.”
Pronger, acquired from Anaheim for forward Joffrey Lupul, prospect Luca Sbisa and two first-round draft picks, took a big run at Byfuglien in the Chicago zone in the second period and knocked the 260-pound winger to the ice. Later in the period he caught Kane along the left wing boards and, like a big kid taunting his little brother, knocked Kane’s helmet off for the second game in a row.
The pace of the game - “it’s like the regular season on steroids,” was the way Chicago winger Kris Versteeg put it - was once again breathtaking.
It was the ’Hawks - who had been picked by many to have too much game for the Flyers - who buckled early Friday night, but rallied with two late goals by Dave Bolland on a 5-3 advantage at 12:01 and one on a crazy bounce by Brian Campbell at 15:50 to make a game of it.
A couple of miscues by Hjalmarsson cost the ’Hawks and put them in a 2-0 hole. On the first one, Flyers captain Mike Richards stripped Hjalmarsson of the puck and whipped a backhand by what looked like an unprepared Antti Niemi in the Chicago goal.
That was at 4:35 of the first period.
“That’s a hard-working goal,” said Pronger. “He stripped him and caught the goalie sleeping there. That’s the kind of effort we need night in and night out.”
With about five minutes to go in the opening period Hjalmarsson backhanded a loose puck from the Chicago crease right up the slot and onto the stick of on-rushing Flyers defenceman Matt Carle, who had an empty side for his first of the playoffs and a 2-0 lead.
After a scoreless second period in which Pronger’s influence on and control of the game was the storyline, Philly’s Ville Leino made it 4-1 at 6:43 with a goal that kind of summed up the ’Hawks night. Leino’s shot hit Versteeg in the back in front of the Chicago net and caromed by Niemi and it turned out to be the winner after Chicago’s late goals.
Jeff Carter iced it with an empty netter with 25 seconds to go.
“It was our intention to win both our homes games,” said Pronger. “Now it’s up to us to win one on the road.”
The Flyers came back to Philly down 2-0 and have defended home ice.
Now, can the Blackhawks can use home ice to grab back the momentum?
