Blackhawks, fans face up to tighter Cup series

You can put away your brooms now, Blackhawk fans, and dust off those seatbelts you didn't think you would need. The Stanley Cup final just became a bit more contentious.

The Philadelphia Flyers, all orange all the time, could have turned into pumpkins even before the clock struck 12 on Wednesday night. But such does not seem to be their preferred mode during these playoffs, a postseason of high-wire acts that now must include a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 3. The Blackhawks still lead the tournament 2 to 1, but the course of events on this humid evening at the Wachovia Center should serve as a skin bracer.

When Jonathan Toews found Patrick Kane with a lovely feed that would result in a goal and a 3-2 Blackhawks lead at 2:50 of the third period, the degree of stress within the building here was palpable, as was the relief in Chicago that its two young guns had returned to the scoresheet after a brief absence. But the Blackhawks had only several seconds to enjoy this potential silencer, because a number of things happened thereafter, none good.

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