Returning to the bench among gleeful teammates, Kelly turned to head coach Fred Shero and said, "Freddie, that's five bucks you owe me."
Shero remained outwardly stoic. But he issued what Flyers players had come to understand was his selectively-chosen equivalent of either in-game praise or consolation, depending on the situation: The coach gently put a hand on Kelly's shoulder before returning his focus to the game.
The skinny lead held as the minutes on the clock ticked down. Finally, with 2:47 remaining in the third period, the Flyers got some insurance.
Claiming the puck along the boards, Orest Kindrachuk spotted Bill Clement getting open over the middle. Kindrachuk fearlessly hung in, receiving a bone rattling hit from Korab that left the Flyers forward down in a heap, but not before sending a tape-to-tape pass to Clement. Going in all alone on Crozier, Clement scored to extend the lead to 2-0.