by KEVIN GREENSTEIN, Inside Hockey

Updated: April 28, 2008, 10:13 PM EST 33 comments

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Why the Flyers won: Philadelphia's counterattack was in full force Monday night, as the Flyers scored three quick goals in the second period (on six shots) to chase Canadiens netminder Carey Price. All three goals were scored on the rush, after the Habs turned the puck over in the offensive end. And of course, there's goaltender Marty Biron, who stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced en route to the stirring victory. Biron might have been the Sabres' second-best goalie, but he's proving in these playoffs that he's capable of stopping the puck more effectively and consistently than any Flyers netminder has since Ron Hextall in his heyday in the late 1980s.

Why the Canadiens lost: When the season began, it seemed clear that Montreal's best chance to compete for the Cup would be if rookie Carey Price delivered a performance reminiscent of Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy before him. But as things currently stand, no such domination is in the cards, and the goals Price surrendered on Monday night — two of them soft as marshmallows — have to have shaken the team's confidence in him. Habs coach Guy Carbonneau would be wise to give Price another shot in Wednesday's Game 4, but it's clear that he'll be on a short leash. Needless to say, time is running short for the 20-year-old Price to carry these Habs on his back to a storybook finish.

Key moment: Derian Hatcher's boarding major on Habs defenseman Francis Bouillon, which directly led to two Canadiens power-play goals, threatened to change the course of the game in Montreal's favor. But the Flyers held on for the victory, with Biron leading the way. And so instead, it was the Flyers' second goal, a shorthanded marker scored by Mike Richards from just outside the right faceoff circle, that served as the game's defining moment.

Looking ahead: While the Canadiens have been renowned all season long for their skating ability, it appears that in this series the Flyers have the edge. And unless the Canadiens are able to put together a more cohesive effort on Wednesday night — and solve the indomitable Marty Biron — this series is going to be over quickly in Philadelphia's favor. For the Flyers, the task ahead is the same as the task behind — they must simply continue to put pressure on the Canadiens, and they must do their best to stay out of the penalty box. If the Habs have an edge in this series, it's when their power play takes the ice.