GAME REPORT

FIRST PERIOD

* IN REVIEW: Legion of Broom? With his team down and almost out after losing the first two games of the series, Flyer Coach Terry Murray replaced ineffective goaltender Garth Snow with veteran Ron Hextall for Game 3. Murray also was forced to play defenseman Michel Petit instead of Paul Coffey, who was sidelined because of a concussion. Neither move paid off in the first period. Then again, Bernie Parent couldn’t have stopped the Red Wings. They poured through the Flyer defense with startling ease. Once again, the Red Wings showed too much skill and speed for the slow-footed Flyers.

Saves: Flyers--Hextall 5, Red Wings--Mike Vernon 9.

* SCORING: Flyers 1, Red Wings 0--John LeClair gave the Flyers their first lead of the series, backhanding a rebound past Vernon for a power-play goal at the 7:03 mark.

Flyers 1, Red Wings 1--Steve Yzerman erased the Flyer lead two minutes later, scoring his third of the series, on a shot from the slot after a pass from the right-wing boards by Vyacheslav Kozlov.

Red Wings 2, Flyers 1--Sergei Fedorov picked up a loose puck at the blue line, skated in alone and beat Hextall at 11:05.

Red Wings 3, Flyers 1--Martin Lapointe’s one-timer from the slot off a pass from Doug Brown beat a helpless Hextall at 19:00.

* KEY PLAYS: Philadelphia defenseman Eric Desjardins halted the Flyers’ momentum by taking a holding penalty at 8:44. Yzerman scored a power-play goal 19 seconds later. . . . Defenseman Karl Dykhuis fell and lost control of the puck at the blue line. Fedorov pounced and scored on a breakaway. . . . Lapointe raced out of the penalty box, accepted a pass, hit the post with a shot, then scored a moment later.

SECOND PERIOD

* IN REVIEW: It’s been 42 years since the Red Wings last won the Stanley Cup, but victory appeared to be at hand after another strong period. Having shown their superiority in offense, defense and goaltending, the Red Wings proved they’re just as rough and tough as the Flyers with several big checks and neutralized Eric Lindros throughout.

Saves: Hextall 5, Vernon 12.

* SCORING: Red Wings 4, Flyers 1--Fedorov scored his second of the game, on a power play at 3:12, lifting a rebound over a fallen Hextall after a goal-mouth scramble.

Red Wings 5, Flyers 1--Brendan Shanahan banked in a shot from behind the net off a scrambling Hextall at 19:17.

* KEY PLAYS: Shanahan appeared to be in the crease when Fedorov scored, but it was ruled a goal after a review by the video goal judge. . . . No Flyer picked up Kozlov or Fedorov on the Red Wings’ fourth goal--yet another costly defensive breakdown for the Flyers. . . . Vladimir Konstantinov disrupted LeClair’s breakaway attempt at 12:45.

THIRD PERIOD

* IN REVIEW: The Red Wings adopted a more defensive style. Their left-wing lock, a version of a neutral-zone trap, suffocated the Flyers. Lindros was held without a goal for the third consecutive game and without an assist for the second. Lapointe’s goal gave the Red Wings their third in five power-play opportunities. Vernon contributed an assist, which earned him a standing ovation.

Saves: Hextall 6, Vernon 7.

* SCORING: Red Wings 6, Flyers 1--With Lindros in the penalty box for cross checking, Lapointe scored his second of the game at 1:08. Lapointe moved over the blue line into the Flyer zone, then unleashed a slap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle.

* KEY PLAYS: Vernon made all the saves down the stretch--not that the Flyers mustered many chances. . . . Detroit’s Kirk Maltby, 6 feet and 185 pounds, hammered Kjell Samuelsson, 6-6 and 235, with a glass-shattering check with 3:50 left--a fitting conclusion to another brutal Flyer performance.