Pronger figures out ways he can to push the envelope

PHILADELPHIA - Patrick Kane wasn't afraid to say it when asked if he thought Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger is allowed to get away with certain things by the referees because of his stature in the league.

"I think so," Kane said Wednesday. "I think the refs probably know it, too, but he's been in the league a long time and gets away with whacks here and there that he probably shouldn't.

"I guess for playing in the league that long you kind of deserve something like that, but at this time of year I don't think that should matter."

Anyone who watched the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals saw Pronger cross-check and slash Blackhawks winger Dustin Byfuglien in front of the net for much of the night.

The new rules the NHL put in place coming out of the lockout were supposed to put an end to things like that, but slowly those rules all over the ice have been relaxed. Just watch the next time there's a chip in and how defensemen get more and more leeway when it comes to holding guys up.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville has had it both ways, coaching Pronger in St. Louis and going against him for a lot of years in the Western Conference - and Quenneville doesn't disagree that the hulking defenseman gets away with certain things on the ice.

"You have to commend Prongs for finding ways to get around it or push the envelope, whichever, as far as, I guess, you can push it," Quenneville said. "But he's a smart player that is effective in a lot of ways. He finds the way to take advantage of whatever situation it is that can give him an edge."

The Hawks' plan for Pronger all series has been to keep him playing in his own end rather than letting him become a factor on offense.

"We want to make sure we keep it tight on him and try to keep him where he's playing defense as opposed to attacking," Quenneville said. "But he's pretty smart as far as how he works it."

Pronger plays a lot, getting 32 minutes in Game 1 and 28 in Game 2. The Flyers basically are a four-defenseman team, which could take its toll in a long series.

"They're pretty much going every other shift," Kane said. "If you can get down in their end, that's where they don't want to play - just control the puck and make them chase you.

"They're all really good defensemen and they log a lot of minutes, but if we can wear them down and get our big guys in and try to bang them as much as possible it should be good for all the lines."