"To be honest, sometimes I feel that," Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen said yesterday. "I'm sure there's a reason. We've been suspended a lot of times. Now we're playing the Canadiens, and they make a big deal about anything. A guy hits me in the face and it's still a story in Canada."

The image problem goes back to the days of the Broad Street Bullies. The newer problem goes back to the five Flyers suspensions early in the season. Yet the underlying problem is that a lot of people simply don't like the Flyers' style.

"That was not in my mind at all last summer when I signed, that I was coming to a team nobody likes," Timonen said, laughing. "I don't mind it. Unless it goes against us, when you think about referees. I don't expect the Canadiens to like us. It's playoff hockey. I hate them, too."

This series has been about the big, bad bullies vs. those lovable guys from Montreal. And the officiating, at times, seems slanted to the North. Those are all "hate" factors.

"Until you have been here and played here, you don't realize it," said defenseman Derian Hatcher, who got a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for boarding on Sunday night. "You kind of heard it before. But when you are here and playing, it does seem like people hate the Flyers. I'm not sure why.

"Eventually, you hear other cities talk [about it]. And we didn't do anything. There is definitely some truth behind it. I don't mind it. My career has been a little bit about that. I don't mind it. I don't think players in here mind it."

Actually, center Mike Richards admits that it bothers him.

"Do I like it? No, not really," Richards said. "It's frustrating at some point. It's nice, though, to see we can battle through, especially last night. We put it behind us and finished the game."

Richards thinks that people dislike "the brand of hockey" the Flyers play. That makes sense. After all, the Pittsburgh Penguins tanked the final game of the regular season just to avoid facing the more physical Flyers in the first round and instead drew the lame Ottawa Senators.

Coach John Stevens noted that everyone in hockey loved the Flyers in 1976 for beating the Soviet Red Army.

"You love them, you hate them," Stevens said.

Not impressed

"Not at all. I think the first few games we had against Boston were a lot more physical than the first few games we've had against Philly," he said yesterday. "That's the style they played all year. I don't think that's the style they've shown in the playoffs. I feel like with the speed we have, they [the Flyers] haven't been that effective. We won't back down from anything. Teams tried that for 82 games - more than 90 games now - and it hasn't worked. I don't see it working."

Rules are rules

"If he feels like he let up on him, then that's the way he feels," Carbonneau said. "I thought it was the right call. If that's the way they want to play, there are rules. There are rules for everybody. There are 30 teams in the NHL, and they're not apart from anybody else."

Knuble's status

"If I was not ready, I wouldn't dress," Knuble said. "It's just too important. There are too many guys that we have who are healthy."

Someone will have to leave the lineup - probably Patrick Thoresen. Knuble will replace R.J. Umberger on Jeff Carter's line with Scottie Upshall. Umberger, who has been brilliant in this series with four goals, will move to another line, but where?

"That's what makes him such a valuable player," Stevens said. "Wherever we play him, we'll get a boost."

Loose pucks

- Tim Panaccio
and Ray Parrillo