"Seems like when we do things like that, we get criticized," Flyers coach John Stevens said during the morning skate. "When other teams do it, they get complimented. It's nice to know we're so forgiving of those actions the next time Steve Downie is involved in an incident such as that."

After Game 2, Stevens called the punch "cowardly." On Sunday, Carbonneau defended the punch, saying Timonen should have skated to his bench instead of celebrating the Flyers' fourth goal that iced the game.

"They were winning," Carbonneau said. "They had just scored the [last] goal. This is not the right time to [celebrate]. He deserved it."

Kostopoulos told reporters Sunday he "made a mistake" and "lost my cool" by punching Timonen in the face.

Derian Hatcher won a Stanley Cup with Carbonneau in Dallas in 1999, when the latter was near the end of his playing career. Hatcher said Carbonneau's reaction was consistent with his personality.

"I know how he thinks about the game and how it should be played," Hatcher said. "It's not a fair thing to say, but it doesn't surprise me that he would say it. I played with [Carbonneau] seven years."

Timonen kept a straight face when told of Carbonneau's comments.

"He's the last guy I need to worry about," Timonen said. "Move on. It's Game 3. I didn't do anything. I heard him yelling something at me [from the bench]. I turned around, the next thing I got punched in the face. Let's move on. It's part of the playoffs."

Obviously, the animosity between the two clubs has reached a new level. "It took only two games to hate them," Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon said.

Two games?

"I'm surprised it took that long," said the Flyers' Scottie Upshall, who has gotten on the Canadiens' nerves in this series much as he did in the quarterfinals against Washington.

"It's the playoffs. We're not friends out there. It's time when everyone puts everything aside. . . . The hatred has been there all year, no matter what the sweater is. Montreal is just a team we're up against. We're in battle mode."

Timonen laughed when told of Bouillon's remark.

"Who likes the Flyers?" he asked. "It's the playoffs. That's our style of play, and we're going to keep doing it. They have a lot of skill, and we're going to be hard on their top people."

Winger Scott Hartnell said that Timonen was probably "the last guy on this team, maybe in the league" to deserve a punch to the face.

"He plays hard and he plays the game right; he doesn't take cheap shots after the whistle," Hartnell said.

The question was: How would the Flyers respond?

"You don't target Kostopoulos," Hatcher said. "You target [Saku] Koivu and [Alex] Kovalev."