Stanley Cup Notebook : History Is Latest Flyer Opponent

No team has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the Stanley Cup. The Philadelphia Flyers know it. The Edmonton Oilers know it. All that remains to be seen is what the teams are going to do about it tonight in Game 5 at the Northlands Coliseum.

The Flyers were desperate in Game 4, and they acted out their frustration with violence. Philadelphia goaltender Ron Hextall’s slash to the back of Kent Nilsson’s legs was the type of incident that carries over from one game to the next.

Edmonton Coach Glen Sather instructed his team not to retaliate. “I could make a lot of comments on that,” Sather said after Sunday’s 4-1 win. “My main comment is that we have guys on this team who are willing to take that kind of stuff to win the Stanley Cup.”

Repeatedly, the Oilers said they would absorb all the Flyers would dish out if it would help them win.

“We’ve seen it in many situations before,” Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky said. “When you play in the finals, emotions run high. Any guy in our room is willing to take a punch in the mouth and not hit back if it helps us win.”

The Flyers may or may not resort to goon tactics to beat the Oilers. Whatever course they choose, they know they are in a difficult position.

“We aren’t going to give up,” Flyer defenseman Brad Marsh said. “Old Flyers never give up, and new Flyers aren’t allowed to.”

Flyer Coach Mike Keenan has tried to use the home-ice advantage for the two games in the Spectrum.

The sellout crowds gave the Flyers a lift. Then there were the theatrics of Game 3--the dimmed lights for the introductions, the Stanley Cup on the ice, a videotape of the late Kate Smith singing the Flyers’ good luck song, “God Bless America.”

Keenan also tinkered with the Flyer power play and improved dramatically the number of faceoffs the Flyers won.

With Gretzky and Mark Messier taking the bulk of the faceoffs, the Flyers were losing the draws and possession of the puck.

Keenan adjusted by putting two centers on the ice for faceoffs on the power play. If one Flyer center was rejected by the official, a second could step in.

In Game 3, the Flyers won 60% of the faceoffs, and had possession of the puck for the majority of the game.

Sather was not without his tricks. Since Philadelphia had the advantage of putting their lines on the ice last, Keenan was getting the matchups he wanted. For example, Ron Sutter’s line would skate against the Gretzky line.

However, Sather got around it with a quick shuffle. When a faceoff was in front of the Edmonton bench, Sather would put Kelly Buchberger in the spot on the ice nearest the bench.

Buchberger is not a particularly dangerous player, and Keenan adjusted his line accordingly. Once the puck was dropped, Sather made the switch. Buchberger would take half a step, hurdle over the boards and into the Oiler bench, and Gretzky would leap onto the ice, with a slower Flyer line taken by surprise.

Stanley Cup Notes

The return of Tim Kerr to the Flyer lineup looks remote. Keenan said Kerr’s shoulder would be evaluated today, but the players say there is no way Kerr will return. Ilkka Sinisalo, who missed the last two games with pinched cartilage in his left knee, expects to be ready for today’s game. Without Kerr and Sinisalo, who combined for more than 100 goals in the regular season, the Flyers’ offense has been significantly diminished. . . . King rookies Luc Robitaille and Jimmy Carson, along with Philadelphia goaltender Ron Hextall, are the three finalists for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top rookie.