SPORTS N STUFF

The Pittsburgh Pirates are benching second baseman Aki Iwamura, their highest-paid player but one of the majors worst-performing hitters.

Manager John Russell announced the move before Mondays game against the Cubs and said that the recently recalled Neil Walker would take over at second. Walker was the Pirates first-round draft pick as a catcher in 2004.

The Pirates dealt reliever Jesse Chavez to Tampa Bay for Iwamura during the offseason, picking up his $4.85 million contract even though he missed most of last season following left knee surgery. Iwamura has shown little range in the field and his .173 batting average is the third lowest in the majors for an everyday player.

June 7-9 – Amateur draft, Secaucus, N.J.

June 28-30 – New York Mets vs. Florida Marlins at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

July 13 – All-Star game, Anaheim, Calif.

July 25 – Hall of Fame inductions, Cooperstown, N.Y.

July 31 – Last day to trade a player without securing waivers.

Aug. 16 – Last day to sign selections from 2010 amateur draft who have not exhausted college eligibility.

Sept. 1 – Active rosters expand to 40 players.

Oct. 6 – Playoffs begin.

Oct. 27 – World Series begins.

November – Free agent filing period, first 15 days after World Series ends.

Dec. 1 – Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents.

Dec. 7 – Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept the offers.

Dec. 6-9 – Winter meetings, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Dec. 12 – Last day for teams to offer 2011 contracts to unsigned players.

2011

Jan 5-15 – Salary arbitration filing.

Jan. 18 – Exchange of salary arbitration figures.

Feb. 1-21 – Salary arbitration hearings.

Feb. 17 – Voluntary reporting date for pitchers, catchers and injured players.

Feb. 22 – Voluntary reporting date for other players.

March 1 – Mandatory reporting date.

March 2-11 – Teams may renew contracts of unsigned players.

March 16- Last day to place a player on unconditional release waivers and pay 30 days termination pay instead of 45 days.

March 30 – Last day to request unconditional release waivers on a player without having to pay his full 2011 salary.

April 3 – Opening day, active rosters reduced to 25 players.

July 12 – All-Star game, Phoenix.

July 31 – Last day to trade a player without securing waivers.

Aug. 15 – Last day to sign selections from 2011 amateur draft who have not exhausted college eligibility.

Sept. 1 – Active rosters expand to 40 players.

Dec. 5-8 – Winter meetings, Dallas.

Dec. 11 – Collective bargaining agreement expires.

Dec. 12 – Last day for teams to offer 2011 contracts to unsigned players.

Only one man knows for sure. And hes not telling anyone.

Peter Laviolette says, Tough decisions are sometimes good. Like going back to Leighton for Game 2. (Getty Images) But while Flyers coach Peter Laviolette suggested it was nobody’s business about who will start Game 2 for him in goal, he allowed staff members to get the word out late in the day that Michael Leighton will again get the nod. Laviolette had a chance to come clean earlier Sunday when he met the media after the team’s off-day skate, but hey, when it involves the Flyers, why let a potentially good goalie controversy go to waste. Particularly at playoff time.

“Tough decisions are sometimes good to have to make,” Laviolette said after the Flyers had a 30-minute off-day skate and a much longer video session. “I can tell you whoever is on that ice in the lineup tomorrow, and I say this wholeheartedly, theres 100 percent confidence that the people that were choosing to go out and represent our organization were very confident in their ability to do the job.

“Whoever gets the start tomorrow night is really going to shine. Well be keeping everything internal with regards to lineups, but thank you for asking.”

No thanks were necessary because the question of who goes between the pipes in the crucial second game against the Chicago Blackhawks has been the topic du jour since Michael Leighton was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 15 shots. Leighton, the mid-season waiver wire pickup who got the Flyers back into the playoff race and was nearly impenetrable since returning from an injury in round two, said he didnt feel any playoff jitters, but had a rough night in the opener anyway. He seemed to be fighting the puck early, allowing big rebounds and his positioning wasnt particularly sharp, although he didnt get much help from the skaters in front of him.

With that in mind, Laviolette didnt single Leighton out for blame immediately after the 6-5 loss to the Blackhawks nor during the off-day media session, although the coach made it clear that he wasnt impressed with his goaltenders work. Still Leightons teammates felt he should be entirely absolved.

“If theres players that should take the blame for last night, its certainly not our goaltending,” Danny Briere said. “The chances we gave, the shots we gave in dangerous areas, we havent done that too many times in the playoffs.

“Not too many goalies are going to be successful with the shooters they have when you give point-blank chances to score the way we did last night.”

Brieres argument has some merit because the Flyers defense created plenty of available space for Chicago. On two of the Blackhawks goals Philadelphia collapsed so deep in front of their net, Chicago shooters had enough time to make dinner reservations before getting off their shots. On a third, the Flyers got caught up ice and allowed a two-on-one break and on another they let Marian Hossa roam free behind their net before finding an open man in front. And then there was the shorthanded goal by Dave Bolland after Braydon Coburn coughed up the puck at the Chicago blue line.

The thing is, Brian Boucher, the star of the opening-round win over New Jersey, was actually sharper in relief in his first appearance back since being injured in the second round. Even so, the smart money says Philadelphia will go back to Leighton, if for no other reason than the fact he has gone 3-1-1 in games after being pulled.

But Leighton isnt quite sure hell get to go again, although he feels he merits another chance.

“Well, I didnt let any really bad goals in, thats the way I look at it,” he said.”I didnt make some big saves, thats pretty much what it came down to.

“A couple of them were good shots. Theres one or two that I was mad at myself for what I did. But thats the way it goes. Thats the game of hockey.”

So why then all the fuss?

For that answer, we turn to the wise sage Chris Pronger, who despite being a member of Philadelphias embattled blue line group in Game 1, actually turned in a starring performance. Pronger spent more than 32 minutes on the ice, made Dustin Byfuglien seem invisible and kept Chicagos top scorers Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane off the scoresheet. And he finished with two assists to go along with a plus-two rating.

Pronger was asked about the goaltending controversy hinted at by his coach a few moments earlier and insisted he knew nothing of it, except that there might have been a motive.

“Maybe hes keeping you on your toes,” he told the assembled media mass.

And everyone else, too.

Kobe Bryant is again showing the world what postseason greatness can be.

Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers are in the NBA Finals for the third straight season after he wrapped up a magnificent Western Conference finals with a 37-point performance in a series-clinching 111-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.

“Kobes so good, ” teammate Lamar Odom said, “he makes incredible normal for us.”

Ron Artest added 25 points as the Lakers held off a late Phoenix rally to win the series 4-2.

The Lakers and Celtics, the NBAs premier teams for much of the leagues history, will meet in the Finals for the 12th time with Game 1 Thursday night in Los Angeles. They Boston beat the Lakers two years ago, and Los Angeles topped Orlando last season.

“Well see how much we matured,” Bryant said. “They challenged us extremely well in the finals a couple years ago. Now is a chance to see how much weve grown.”

Bryant scored nine points in the final 2 minutes, including what looked like an impossible 23-footer with Grant Hill in his face and 34 seconds to play. The basket put Los Angeles up 107-100 and the scrappy Suns were finished.

“Those arent shooters shots, theyre scorers shots,” Phoenixs Steve Nash said. “Those are best-player-in-the-game type shots.”

Bryant will be in his seven five more than regular season MVP LeBron James, who can only sit and watch.

Amare Stoudemire, in what may have been his last game with the Suns, scored 27 points but struggled to a 7-of-20 shooting night. He can opt out of the final year of his contract and has said chances are “50-50″ that he will play elsewhere next season.

“Im not sure what the future holds right now,” he said, “so Im just going to take a couple of days, enjoy the family and enjoy the rest and start figuring out the next move.”

Nash, who had promised his team would win Game 6 after its near-miss in Game 5, added 21 points and nine assists in his 118th playoff game, the most for anyone who has never reached the finals. The 36-year-old point guard praised his team, which at the seasons start was expected to be fortunate to even make the playoffs.

“You might say we overachieved,” he said, “but were a good team.”

Bryant, with his 10th 30-point performance in his last 11 postseason games, moved ahead of Jerry West and into a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second-most 30-point playoff games at 75. He has a ways to go for the record of 109 held by Michael Jordan.

Bryant also extended his NBA record to eight straight 30-point closeout games on the road.

“I always thought he was the best player in basketball,” Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson will be in search of his 11th NBA championship, fifth with the Lakers.

“Kobe was the man tonight,” he said.

Channing Frye had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns, who have reached the finals only twice in their history and never have won a championship. Goran Dragic scored 10 of his 12 points in a fourth-quarter rally that got Phoenix within three points.

The Lakers led by as many as 18 late in the second quarter and were up by 17 entering the fourth. But four Suns reserves plus Stoudemire got the Suns back into it after Los Angeles took a 91-74 lead into the fourth quarter.

“With a 3-point shooting team like Phoenix,” Jackson said, “you know that any lead is not impossible.”

With Bryant on the bench for a brief rest, Dragic scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to slice Los Angeles lead to 91-82 with 10:27 left.

The Lakers Sasha Vujacic drew a flagrant foul for an elbow to the face of his fellow Slovenian with 11:18 to play. Dragic made both free throws, then blew by Vujacic for a layup to cut it to 91-80 with 11:12 left. Dragic drove for another layup the next time as Bryant made a hasty return to the court.

Gentry stayed with the lineup, and the run reached 16-4 on Stoudemires layup after a slick pass from Dragic under the basket to cut it to 95-90 with 6:09.

Nash and Jason Richardson finally re-entered the game with 3:26 to play and Los Angeles leading 99-92. Stoudemire made two free throws, then Nash cut it to 99-96 on a layup with 2:19 left.

Bryant sank a 21-footer, Odom stole Nashs pass and Bryant made two free throws to stretch it to 103-96 with 1:43 to go. Four straight points by Stoudemire cut it to 100-95 with 53.1 seconds left, but Bryant responded with his dagger over Hill and the surprising playoff run of the undersized, overmatched Suns was over.

“I just got a little separation,” Bryant said, smiling.

Los Angeles outscored the Suns 23-10 over the last eight minutes of the second half to lead 65-53 at the break. After Nash threw up an air ball in the halfs waning seconds, Bryant sank a 3-pointer with 12.9 seconds left to give the Lakers the 12-point lead, their largest of the half, to the cheers of the surprisingly large and loud contingent of Los Angeles fans in the otherwise all-orange crowd.

Phoenix cut the lead to single digits only once in the third quarter, 74-65 on Stoudemires two free throws with 5:38 left. The Lakers responded with an 11-2 run, Artests layup in traffic making it 85-67 with 2½ minutes remaining in the quarter.

Los Angeles led 91-74 entering the fourth.

Notes

Los Angeles snapped the Suns six-game home playoff winning streak. The Lakers have closed out a series in their first try eight of the last nine times. Stoudemires mother Carrie handed out orange bandages to fans to match the one her son wore over the cut on his forehead.

Indians pitcher David Huff feels good enough a day after getting hit in the head with a line drive to make light of what had been a scary situation.

New Yorks Alex Rodriguez hit an RBI double off the side of Huffs head in the third inning of Saturdays game. Huff went down and stayed motionless for a while until giving a thumbs up as he was carted off the field.

Tests have shown no signs of a concussion, and Huff was back at the ballpark Saturday in time to see the Indians come back to beat the Yankees 13-11.

Huff says he didnt see the ball coming at him at all, because if he had, he would have ducked.

He said hes ready to take his next turn in the rotation, but Clevelands medical staff hasnt decided if hes fit to yet.

Cleveland outfielder Grady Sizemore will have surgery on his left knee next week and is expected to miss at least six to eight weeks.

The three-time All-Star has a deep bone bruise in the knee he injured May 16, and the condition and stability of the cartilage beneath his kneecap will be assessed during the arthroscopic operation by Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo.

Steadman pioneered the use of microfracture surgery, which stimulates stem cells to repair and re-grow cartilage. Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff says that neither microfracture, nor anything else, had been ruled out.

The Indians consulted several knee specialists about their star center fielder.

In 33 games this year, Sizemore has no homers, 15 runs and 13 RBIs with a .211 average.

One game may be a little early to start drawing conclusions, but it does seem as if the memo telling the Blackhawks and Flyers that shootouts are not supposed to be part of the Stanley Cup Finals got lost.

Its something you cant explain, Kris Versteeg says. … both teams got exposed. It was a very strange night. (Getty Images) We speak not of those debatable skills competitions that ensure someone goes home a winner every night during the regular season. No in this case, the term shootout refers back to those wild, wide-open, run-and-gun affairs that characterized the game back in the 1980s around the time when a film eponymously named popularized the phrase “greed is good.”

No doubt anyone who craves similar high-scoring affairs can only hope the remainder of this Final series will feature much more of the kind of energy-induced, often frenetic offensive show that Chicagos 6-5 win over Philadelphia produced in the series opener.

Both teams in this series have the talent and depth to score a lot of goals. And thats what both teams are leery about.

“When you score five goals, more than likely you should win a hockey game, so its really frustrating, but besides that, this isnt the way youre supposed to play in the Stanley Cup Final,” Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said. “Our defensive zone coverage was quite poor and they were getting a lot of chances in front of the net uncontested. We cant be giving up those shots from the slot, especially with the shooters they have, you cant afford to leave them alone. Obviously theres lots of things we need to improve on. Well definitely be watching a lot of videos tomorrow.”

The Flyers might actually want to burn them considering how many chances they had to win. They scored what is usually the important first goal of the game less than seven minutes, and after the Blackhawks stormed back with a pair, Philadelphia tied and went into the first intermission leading because Danny Briere hit the back of the net with 27 seconds left in the opening period.

Then again the Blackhawks might not want to keep this one for posterity either, even if they found a way to pull it out for the 22,312 delirious fans in the Madhouse on Madison.

“Its really something you cant explain,” Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg said. “Maybe its because both teams waited so long to get this started, maybe its because we havent played each even if you know guys are skilled. But when you see g youre not quite use to it.

“Thats why both teams got exposed and why we have to tighten up defensively. But it was still a very strange night.”

In so many ways.

To begi Chicago who were among the top feel-good stories of these playoffs as the starters, yet there were 11 goals scored on just 60 shots. Five of those goals came in the first period, which made it the highest scoring opening frame in a Game 1 since the New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks combined for that total in 1982. And Leighton even got pulled in what was a still a one-goal game at the time.

Still the goalies werent the only ones making you scratch your head.

There was Chicagos explosive attack doing its thing, yet managing to do all its damage without its vaunted power play getting in on the act. Of course the Blackhawks man-advantage unit never had a chance because the Flyers, yes the Flyers, did not take a penalty in this game.

“Well, it definitely gives us confidence knowing we can score five on five, the power plays will come,” rationalized Blackhawks forward Troy Brouwer, who had a big night with a pair of goals and an assist. “Were not a team completely based on our power play, even though we do have a very skilled team and a great power play. As long as the goals are coming from wherever the goals are coming, were OK.”

Especially since the lead changed hands five times and Chicagos top line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien was shut out while going a combined minus-9.

But on this night, there were other lines to pick up the Blackhawks, most notably the Dave Bolland unit that had him and wingers Versteeg and Tomas Kopecky combine for the winning goal in the third period.

Ironically, the key play was made by defenseman Brent Seabrook, who didnt get in on the scoring summary because of it. Seabrook kept the puck in the Flyers zone despite losing his balance at the blue line, and Bolland got it deep to Versteeg, who found Kopecky unattended on the far side. Kopecky made a neat move and beat Brian Boucher for the only goal in a third period that actually looked like a more typical Stanley Cup Final game.

“Things settled down as the game progressed, certainly and we improved as the game went on, but I dont think anybody envisioned a 5-5 game heading into the third period,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We stressed defense and a defense-first approach. But I think we got away from it tonight.”

Next time they should read the memo.

The absolute, totally insane, beyond incomprehensible moment in many totally insane, beyond incomprehensible moments for Nate Robinson came when the shrimptastic guard tried to dunk on Dwight Howard.

Robinson is the former slam dunk champion who stands at 5-foot-9 on a good day but his powerful legs could launch a small satellite into low orbit. Nevertheless, there are limits to even superhuman hops and during one of Robinson cocked the basketball high at the end of a break and went directly at the beast Howard.

As Robinson blasted skyward, Howard almost had a look on his face that said, “Seriously? Your short ass is trying to dunk on ?” Howard sprung quickly to attention and when Robinson made contact with Howards reinforced chest, Robinson bounced off, and hit the ground.

The failed dunk still had repercussions. Earlier, Robinson used his jumpshot to help propel Boston to its second NBA Finals in three years with a 96-84 victory over Orlando. The dunk attempt, no matter how crazy, was also problematic for the Magic because Howard collected his third foul and went to the bench.

“You know, he really won this game for us because the game was in the mix to go either direction and he really gave us a spark,” Paul Pierce said of Robinson. “Thats really growing up, really growing into a man tonight.”

“Nate Robinson was huge in the first half,” said Orlandos Stan Van Gundy. “I mean, that was a huge, huge lift for them …”

Tiny man with a tall presence in a big game.

There was pseudo-panic setting in this city as the Magic won two straight and Boston began setting up residence in Choke City. The Celtics were playing Bruins basketball and uncomfortable questions were being asked.

Yet as the Celtics have done throughout the playoffs, they grew another star appendage at the perfect time. Rajon Rondo emerged earlier in these playoffs and in a critical Game 6, it was Robinson who saved Boston with a 13-point second quarter.

Its the Celtics depth and defense that will give either Los Angeles or Phoenix fits. Indeed, anyone who bets against Boston is foolish. The Celtics have demonstrated more mettle than any other team in this postseason during what is the formulation of a possible mini-dynasty.

Other Celtics stars did their usual and Bostons destruction of the thin-skinned Magic was a collective effort. Ray Allens two 3-pointers to open the third quarter was like a baseball bat to the knee and helped expand a 55-42 halftime lead to 63-44. Pierce was again brilliant with 31 points.

Nate Robinson fills in nicely for banged-up Rajon Rondo and ends with 13 points. (AP) Make no mistake it was Robinson who truly pushed the Celtics in this game. Robinson entered after Rondo was injured following a hard fall. A 13-point lead shrunk to nine with 10 minutes left in the first half. Then Robinson hit a three-pointer. About 90 seconds later, he hit another. Three minutes after that, he connected on two free throws and a 23-footer. His microburst helped give Boston a 21-point lead and he added three more points after that in the quarter.

At that point the Magic were stunned and the game was basically over. The only thing left to do was wait for Vince Carter to sign with Greece.

“They always told me,” Robinson said, “be ready, be ready [because] you never know. Today was that day.”

Did Robinson win the game? No, but that spurt was insurance and the Celtics could go on cruise control after that.

It was a dominating overall performance by the Celtics as the Magic came up as small as Boston did big. Carter continued to be an embarrassment as his whining percentage to game officials was higher than his shooting percentage. Jameer Nelson, who had been on fire, was a non-factor because of early foul trouble. Howard got his usual allotment of dunks.

Boston coach Doc Rivers was prophetic about Robinson months ago. He said this on April 9 after Robinson scored 13 points in 78 seconds against Washington.

“I think Nate can just wake up and make shots, thats who he is,” Rivers said. “Hell win a playoff game for us. Therell be a game where were flat and were going to need somebody to come in and make that happen and Nate will do that. Hes going to win us a playoff game.”

Rivers said he explained to Robinson after Fridays clinching win, “I told him I loved him and I told him at some point, it was going to happen for him. And it was all up to him to stay engaged. And he did.”

Then he tried to dunk on Howard and takes guts no matter how tall you are.

The Baltimore Orioles have recalled right-hander Chris Tillman from Triple-A Norfolk to start Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Tillman was 5-4 with a 3.12 ERA in 10 starts at Norfolk, including an April 28 no-hitter against Gwinnett.

Baltimore optioned right-hander Cla Meredith to Triple-A after Fridays 5-0 loss to clear a spot for Tillman. He takes the rotation spot of David Hernandez, who was moved to the bullpen earlier this week.

Tillman made 12 starts for the Orioles in 2009, going 2-5 with a 5.40 ERA. He is 0-2 in two career starts against Toronto.

Forget about what happened during the regular season. Its misguided to think the playoff seeds have anything to do with where the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers are right now. These are two very good teams coming into the Stanley Cup Finals at the top of their game. Thats what matters.

Neither backed into this series and the teams have many of the same characteristics in terms of offense, defense and goaltending. The Blackhawks are a faster and more explosive team, but the Flyers score timely goals and they play a more physical game.

That said, the Blackhawks will come in as slight favorites because they have home-ice advantage and looked like the potential Cup champion they were supposed to be for most of the season, while the Flyers had to scratch and claw just to make the playoffs.

But Philadelphia got in and has been a powerhouse since.

So how do they match up? Heres a closer look

The road to the Stanley Cup Finals: Chicago created a madhouse on Madison St., but the Blackhawks did their best work on the road going 7-1 through the first three rounds. The Blackhawks had a bit of a scare in Round 1 because they didnt seem to take the Nashville Predators seriously, and they slacked off and let the Vancouver Canucks linger longer than necessary in the second round. But Chicago got its act together big time against Western Conference regular-season champion San Jose Sharks. The teams played tight, playoff-style hockey, yet the Blackhawks found a way to win the series in a sweep.

Meanwhile Philadelphia could easily have been watching these playoffs on television, which is what makes getting here remarkable. The Flyers used the rush from their last-day entry into the playoffs to wipe out Atlantic Division champion New Jersey in five games. Then Philadelphia sent home the Boston Bruins after losing the first three games of that series. But Philadelphia looked its best in the conference finals, beating Montreal in five games.

Intangibles: Chicago is hoping the third time is a charm for Marian Hossa. It better be because Chicago locked him up forever last summer and having him bring his jinx over would not be a good sign. Hossa has been to the past two Stanley Cup Finals, losing to Detroit with Pittsburgh in 2008 and losing to Pittsburgh with Detroit last season. At least he hasnt played for the Flyers, so that helps. What helps the Blackhawks more, though, is the lesson learned from losing last seasons conference finals to Detroit. Young teams generally need to learn how to lose before they know what it takes to win, and the way the Blackhawks were able to bear down against San Jose suggests they have a much better idea now.

Despite an up-and-down season, the Flyers were generally seen as a team built for the playoffs. Injuries and other distractions created some doubt at times, but the Flyers look like it now. They are physical and skilled. Most importantly, all hands are on deck. Philadelphia lost high-scoring forwards Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne and checking center Ian Laperriere early in the playoffs. All three are back now and that will make an impact. So will the Flyers ability to maintain the kind of discipline they have been showing through the playoffs. Philadelphia took a lot of penalties in the opening round, but has been staying out of the box for the most part since and gaining a special-teams advantage as a result.

Forwards: With the kind of scoring power there is on both teams, this could be the most 1980s-like Finals in terms of offense weve seen in years. Chicagos Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are among the most dynamic forwards in the game and with big Dustin Byfuglien alongside them, they get more space than you might expect. But if Philadelphia contains them, Chicago can get its offense from several other players including Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Troy Brouwer and just about everyone else.

The Flyers can counter, though, because Mike Richards, Carter and Gagne make up a dangerous first line and Danny Briere has been on fire anchoring the second line. Youngster Claude Girouxs third line has contributed a lot too, so in terms of depth, both teams have a lot to fall back on. And falling behind in a game in this series will not be a very big deal because both teams will still be able to bring it.

Edge: Chicago.

Defense: Philadelphia lets its top two units get most of the playing time, which makes sense because Chris Pronger-Matt Carle and Kimmo Timonen-Braydon Coburn have been smothering teams as the playoffs have progressed. They help out offensively too, with Pronger and Timonen being masters of the great first pass and power-play specialists.

Chicago might have the Norris winner in Duncan Keith who, along with Brent Seabrook, forms one of the best defensive pairings in the league. Both are solid in their own end and help spark the Blackhawks transition and rushes. Brian Campbell gets overlooked sometimes as a result, but he is a great skater and puck mover as well, while Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brent Sopel add nice depth.

Edge: Philadelphia.

Goaltending: Both teams were criticized for not upgrading their goaltending at the trade deadline, and now you wonder why. Philadelphia has gone through a tougher road because Michael Leighton was injured right after the cutoff, but hes back now and has been nearly unbeatable since returning in Round 2. Thing is, he hasnt faced the kind of firepower Chicago will throw at him.

At the other end, rookie Antti Niemi is among the biggest reasons Chicago has made it this far. He has been that good and has faced a lot more shots on average in the playoffs than he did in the regular season. A couple of off nights earlier in the playoffs were not enough to take away from a brilliant postseason, with Niemis best work coming against the toughest opponent, San Jose.

Edge: Chicago.

Special teams: Both teams have gotten good work out of both their special teams, with the Blackhawks power-play numbers a little better than Philadelphias and the Flyers penalty killers coming out statistically better. These units could ultimately make the difference in the series. Not much to separate the teams in this regard.

Edge: Even

Coaching: Peter Laviolette has a Stanley Cup on his résumé and his personality and system have transformed the Flyers since he took over at midseason. Laviolette uses his talent well in a high-pressure system, but the players say one of his most important talents is keeping them focused.

For Chicago, Joel Quenneville has done a similar transformation job, although his began early last season when he was hired. The Blackhawks lacked direction at the time, and Quenneville got them to the conference finals. Now he has taken them a step further. This is a young team with a lot of swagger, and Quennevilles fiery personality adds a spark to it.

Edge: Even.