Flyers Defeat Blackhawks 4-3 in OT, Trail 2-1 in NHL's Stanley Cup Final

Claude Giroux scored an overtime goal to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the third game of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup final.

The Blackhawks lead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, which resumes tomorrow in Philadelphia.

“The whole team just showed up,” Giroux said in an on-ice interview at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia last night. “We really wanted that win.”

A minute before Giroux’s goal, Flyers fans cheered what they thought was Simon Gagne’s winner. Replay officials ruled the puck didn’t cross the goal line.

“We’re still in a good position,” Chicago’s Patrick Kane said. “Hopefully we can steal one tomorrow and take it back home.”

Danny Briere scored a power-play goal in the first period to put the Flyers ahead 1-0.

Duncan Keith and Brent Sopel got second-period goals for the Blackhawks, separated by a power-play goal for Scott Hartnell of the Flyers.

Kane put the Blackhawks ahead 3-2 less than three minutes into the final period and Philadelphia’s Ville Leino tied the game at 3-3 20 seconds later.

“They’ve battled hard throughout the year and had a lot of ups and downs and they’re just proving themselves again,” Kane said. “It’s going to be a tough task. We knew it wasn’t going to be a cake walk.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Nancy Kercheval in Washington at nkercheval@bloomberg.net Sophie Caronello in Washington at scaronello@bloomberg.net