It doesn't make for as catchy a slogan as "Vengeance Now" - the Flyers' declaration of war on an NHL that thumped them mercilessly last season. It just makes sense tonight.

The Flyers can busy themselves trying to get square with Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin for his cheap-shot-from-behind elbow to Danny Briere's head, or they can busy themselves trying to keep their hope alive by winning Game 3.

They can't do both.

"We're in no position to go after retribution," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "We need to win games."

And since they can't win games if they keep putting Pittsburgh's dangerous power play on the ice, the Flyers have no choice but to defer any on-ice score-settling. Malkin will be carefully watched by tonight's referees, but more for his protection than to monitor his own potential misdeeds.

This twist in the series is unfortunate. Malkin was terrific in Game 1 and was drawing well-deserved praise for carrying his team through Sidney Crosby's injury-marred season. He only demeans himself by resorting to a sneaky and dangerous blow to the head of a much smaller player. Briere said yesterday he was "in la-la land" for a few minutes after taking the unexpected shot.

"The league is aware of it," Flyers coach John Stevens said. His tone suggested he didn't expect much in the way of satisfaction from the homer - er, home - office in Toronto.

The Western Conference final had a similar episode. At the very end of Game 2, Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood caught Dallas forward Mike Ribeiro in the face with the butt of his stick. Ribeiro retaliated with a nasty two-handed slash into Osgood's chest. As is often the case, many more eyes were on the reaction than the provocation.

Neither player was suspended. Both reportedly were fined.

This is a crackdown?

"We all know how the league is cracking down on blows to the head," Stevens said. "If anybody knows that, it's us. . . . An elbow to the head after the puck's gone, that shouldn't happen."

The Malkin hit was one of several that raised the temperature of this series in Game 2. The Penguins feel the Flyers were getting away with shots at Jarkko Ruutu, who is a classic hockey agent provocateur in the mold of Tie Domi. The Flyers think the officials are favoring the Penguins' superstars, Malkin and Crosby.

This is all standard for the hockey postseason. If the Flyers had managed to tie the series Sunday night, they might be able to indulge in more of this gamesmanship and chippiness. But they didn't. So they can't.

All they can do is play better.

"We feel we have another level," defenseman Derian Hatcher said, "and we're going to hit that level" tonight.

If it were simple to play better, everyone would do it, right? One reason the Flyers haven't looked as good in this series is the Penguins. They're really good, and they have raised their game during the postseason. That explains why some of the key Flyers from the first two rounds - Briere, Vinny Prospal, R.J. Umberger, Mike Knuble - haven't been as effective in the first two games.

Tonight and Thursday, Stevens will have the home coach's ability to dictate matchups. If he can create advantageous situations to free up Briere's line, especially, that would make a significant difference for the Flyers.

A tough task

"Pedal to the metal," Stevens said. "We've got to play. Our players, if they take penalties with the right intention and effort on a play, we'll live with the call. . . . There's going to be calls. The game happens quickly, and you're not always going to agree with the call. You just have to deal with them."

In their history, the Flyers have sometimes been guilty of feeling sorry for themselves when they think the officiating is working against them. This group is different. Holmgren, Stevens and the players all seem to accept a certain amount of frustration with the referees as a fact of life.

They see it as motivation rather than as an excuse. Whether it's real or perceived, that can make all the difference as they try to turn this series around. After all, finding a way to come back and beat the Penguins would be the best kind of vengeance.

phil_sheridan. Or by e-mail: psheridan@phillynews.com.