Mike Richards (L) and Chris Pronger.

BY MIKE BROPHY
sportsnet.ca

Think the Flyers are out of it? Done like dinner?

Can't blame you. It certainly doesn't look good for the boys from Philly.

Then again, think back to a year ago. How did it look for the Pittsburgh Penguins? One year removed from being beaten in six games in the Stanley Cup final by the Detroit Red Wings, the Penguins found themselves down 2-0 in the rematch heading home to Pittsburgh.

Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville announced Wednesday that defenceman Andrew Ladd will not play in Game 3, though he did practice today for the first time since being in jured in the Western Conference final.

Having dropped a pair of 3-1 decisions in Motown, things didn't look very good for Sidney Crosby and Company. The thing is, the Penguins didn't play that poorly in the first two games of last year's final, and yet they found themselves in a do-or-die situation heading home.

That pretty much describes the Flyers' situation today. Win tonight and it's series on. Lose Game 3 at home and they might as well pack their bags. They pulled off the improbable by coming back from a 3-0 deficit against the Boston Bruins, but does anybody believe a team could do that twice in the same season - especially since it has only been accomplished three times in league history?

Like the Penguins a year ago, the Flyers played well enough in the first two games to at least have earned a split. Some have pointed the finger at goaltender Michael Leighton who had a nasty series opener and then allowed a game-winner by Ben Eager that he'd certainly like to have back, but that simply is not the case. Leighton was pulled from a game in which the guy standing 200 feet away at the other end also allowed five goals. Suffice it to say goaltending was an issue for both teams and not just a problem exclusive to the Flyers.

More than anything else, the Flyers need to get back to dictating the style of play tonight. The Flyers are at their best when they play a physical game with an accent on strong defence. That means, of course, Chris Pronger will once again be asked to log monster minutes while trying to keep Dustin Byfuglien from making like Roger Waters and constructing a wall in front of Leighton while also keeping tabs on Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews who can't be held off the score sheet forever.

There will also be a lot of focus on Mike Richards tonight. Make no mistake about it, Pronger is the Flyers best player and his Cup experience has been huge in terms of getting Philadelphia to its first final since 1997, but this is Richards' team. He is the captain and he is the player the young guys on the team follow. So far in the final he has been just OK, and for the Flyers to win, that is not good enough.

Richards has proven time and again in his career he can inspire his teammates to great heights. If he ever needed to reach deep for an all-time big performance, tonight is the night. The great thing about Richards is, he can bring it in so many different ways. He can score, he can hit, he can produce while his team is shorthanded.

More than anything, he's not one of those rah-rah guys in the dressing room who dazzles his teammates with a speech for the ages. He's a guy who lets his actions do the speaking for him. If you don't know what I mean, just keep an eye on him in the first period tonight. You'll get the idea.

The biggest problem facing the Flyers is the fact the Hawks are killers on the road. After losing 4-1 in Nashville in their playoff opener this season, the Blackhawks have won seven straight away from home and have out-shot their hosts 31-13.

What the Flyers are banking on, however, is the fact their home building can be very intimidating. They need to use that to their advantage. The Hawks are a great young team, but the operative word is young. If they come a little unglued, the Flyers must be prepared to pounce. Not to say that is the way things are going to unfold, because thus far, the Blackhawks have not shown any signs of being intimidated.

But there is a big difference between playing in Nashville, Vancouver, San Jose and Philadelphia.