MONTREAL - About 10 minutes before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers, the Bell Centre wasn't even close to full, and the majority of the noise in the arena was coming from the speakers.
The Canadiens' fans were underwhelming, but not for long.
By the time the players were introduced and the national anthems were played, the arena quickly had gotten louder than the Wachovia Center has been the past week, and that's saying something.
The noise never stopped, either. Whether it was booing anytime the Flyers had the puck - especially when Montreal native Danny Briere had it - cheering, or chanting "Leigh-ton" derisively toward Flyers goalie Michael Leighton, the noise rarely dropped to even a dull roar.
It only got louder when goals by Michael Cammalleri and Tom Pyatt just four minutes apart gave Montreal a 2-0 lead.
The Flyers were outshot (17-9) and outplayed in the first period for the third straight game. This time, Montreal capitalized.
The Flyers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0.
