Pronger: Hawks' strong 3rd period not as impressive as it seems

Just as Philadelphia took heart and momentum from its ill-fated third-period assault in Game 2 at United Center, the Hawks are trying to do the same with their unsuccessful Game 4 rally at the Wachovia Center.

There's just one catch: Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger tried Saturday to cross-check the Hawks' hopes before they took flight.

The Hawks said Saturday they liked what their third-period line changes wrought, but Pronger essentially noted Philadelphia held a 4-1 lead in Game 4 until Dave Bolland's power-play goal with 7:59 left.

"Well, it really wasn't working until they got a 5-on-3," Pronger told a Philadelphia reporter, "so your observation probably is moot."

The reporter, who swaps repartee with Pronger every day, declared he was only offering Hawks coach Joel Quenneville's opinion.

"OK, well, there you go," Pronger said with a smile. "I guess Joel's wrong, too."

What's my line? Joel Quenneville's shuffling of lines is expected to continue in tonight's pivotal Game 5, and Hawks players seem more than comfortable with whatever changes may come their way.

"I think Joel's got a good feel for the game; he likes to mix and match," said forward Patrick Sharp. "The last game it brought some energy and we battled back in the third period."

"It's always a little energy boost when you go out there and get mixed up with different guys," Tomas Kopecky said. "Q is good at finding the chemistry between the guys and whatever works at the moment we'll go with it. We know everyone can play."

Dangerous Campbell? Remember Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell's big first-period hit on Flyers rookie Ville Leino in the neutral zone?

Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette apparently thinks Campbell didn't play by the rules. Or, perhaps, he wanted to plant a seed or simply defend his guy.

"It was a, um, I don't know," Laviolette said. "I thought it was a bit dangerous. It was from the blind side. That's just my opinion."

The Hawks already were gone from United Center when Laviolette offered his take, so they couldn't offer a rebuttal.

The replay showed Campbell, with his stick and elbow low, coming from the side to nail Leino. His shoulder did make contact with Leino's head, though that likely was because the rookie had his head down.

Easy ... easy: As punishing as the Finals series has been, players are expecting the intensity to ratchet up a notch beginning tonight.

The trick, however, is not to lose one's cool while those around you are.

"There's going to be a lot of whacks and slashing and cross-checking and all that stuff, but I think it's important to stay disciplined and realize there's something bigger on the line," Patrick Sharp said.

He said it: Hawks forward Tomas Kopecky on tonight's big Game 5: "We know we have to be better and we will be better. Everything starts with the little 50-50 battles we have to win. We just have to outwork them. Last game there were several bounces that could have gone our way but didn't. You have to earn those bounces."