No. 1 star: R.J. Umberger, Philadelphia Flyers
Umberger's second game-winning goal of this tournament was also his fourth tally in this series. Not bad for a guy who opened the postseason as a fourth-line scrapper for coach John Stevens. Tuesday he capitalized on some hard work by linemate Jeff Carter to knock a rebound past Montreal goalie Carey Price. The goal at 18:19 of the second period gave the Flyers a three-goal cushion and essentially ended Carey Price's night. No doubt coach Guy Carbonneau knew right then and there he was pulling Price, but was wise enough to spare the rookie the shower of ridicule he would have faced heading back to his bench. The Flyers' any time, any situation forward logged 4:54 on the penalty kill, 2:53 on the power play and 11:45 even-strength while leading Philadelphia with four shots on goal.

No. 2 star: Martin Biron, Philadelphia Flyers
The goalies in this series are heading in different directions, and never was that more evident than the beginning of the third period Tuesday when Biron confidently skated to his crease leading 3-0 while Price tugged on his baseball cap and took a seat on the bench. Biron wasn't as spectacular in this game as he was Saturday, but some of the same elements were there in Game 3 – a breakaway poke check on Saku Koivu, a lightning-quick glove save off Mark Streit during a first period 5-on-3, poise under pressure during a furious Montreal rally. He's a rookie, too, you know? In 10 previous seasons in the NHL, Biron never faced so much as a dump-in in postseason play. Suddenly he's gone from an inexperienced question mark to a legitimate Conn Smythe contender.

No. 3 star: Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers
Not a bad off-the-deck job for Timonen, who was the recipient of a well-publicized sucker-punch toward the end of Game 2. Things were much quieter for Timonen in Game 3, unless you call 8:11 of penalty-killing time in a crucial Eastern Conference semifinal game "stressful." He was on the ice for two Montreal power-play goals in the third period, but even-strength he was a plus-2 and he helped cut Biron's workload with five blocked shots while delivering two hits in 26 minutes of ice time.

Major penalty: We're pretty sure Price will start Game 4 for Montreal, but the rookie goalie has been bad enough in this series that wondering aloud if Jaroslav Halak might get a start, while certainly speculative, is not overly sensational. Once again Monday, Price looked tentative playing the puck. His exchanges with his defensemen were shaky. The developing scouting report says that Price is weak high on the glove side. On Monday, Mike Richards tested him low on the glove side and Price's catcher proved to be as useless as a damp grocery bag as the puck trickled out and into the net for a shorthanded backbreaker. Once the talk of the playoffs, Price now has two losses and a .853 save percentage in three games against the Flyers. He'll obviously have to be better – Biron-like, if you will – for the Canadiens to get back into this series.

Minor penalty: Three-goal comebacks have been all the rage in this year's postseason, but with just 20 minutes remaining Monday, Carbonneau essentially conceded the game to the Flyers when he inserted Halak into the 3-0 game. Get the rookie out as quietly as possible and see how much confidence they could massage back into the 20-year-old's psyche before Game 4, the move said, albeit silently. Then Flyers rearguard Derian Hatcher picked up a boarding major and handed Montreal an all-you-can-eat power play that nearly paved the way for another dramatic comeback. Penalty issues were a problem in Game 3, too, but the Flyers haven't learned a lesson.

Conn Smythe watch (Based on playoff performance to date and likelihood of deep playoff run.)

1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
3. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
4. Marty Turco, Dallas Stars
5. Martin Biron, Philadelphia Flyers

Related: 3 Stars