The Florida Panthers cruised past the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final with a convincing 6-1 victory on Monday, June 9. It was a penalty-filled matchup in which the Panthers didn’t ease up from the drop of the puck to the final whistle of regulation time. It was the first time in the series that overtime wasn’t needed, as the Panthers put on a clinic to take a 2-1 series lead with a dominant display that has been a common theme of the team’s playoff run.
A ferocious forecheck, aggressive pinches, solid penalty-kill work, winning puck battles, and the outstanding play of Sergei Bobrovsky have been hallmarks of success for Florida. The Panthers hit all those aspects in Game 3 while getting under the Oilers’ skin in the process.
The Panthers frustrated the Oilers at every turn on Monday in Game 3. Florida’s skaters did a great job closing gaps and didn’t give Edmonton’s top guns much room to operate. Gustav Forsling’s play against Connor McDavid throughout the contest was excellent. Aaron Ekblad was solid after suffering an injury scare in Game 2 when he blocked a shot with his hand. It looked bad after he struggled to get off the ice, and he appeared to be in serious pain on the bench. However, he was fine to play in Game 3 and made some superb plays, including stepping up at the blue line for hits on McDavid and Corey Perry. Sam Bennett was also physical with Leon Draisaitl, making the Oilers’ superstar fight for every inch of ice. The 28-year-old Bennett turned into a wrecking ball, with big hits on Vasily Podkolzin and John Klingberg before making an outstanding move on a breakaway to put the Panthers ahead 4-1 in the second period. With the Panthers’ lead growing, the physicality and the trash-talking didn’t let up, and eventually, the Oilers lost their composure.
Mattias Janmark’s minor penalty for roughing early in the third period kick-started a parade to the penalty box. Jake Walman was spraying water at the Florida bench after his glove was stolen. He was involved in several altercations with a plethora of Panthers in the contest, including one with Matthew Tkachuk late in the game. Evander Kane was also undisciplined, picking up three minor penalties before being sent to the dressing room with a 10-minute misconduct in the third period. Trent Frederic went after Bennett with a couple of cross-checks, including one that resulted in him breaking his stick, which sparked a pseudo-line brawl. Jonah Gadjovich and Darnell Nurse dropped the gloves in that fracas and got involved in an entertaining tilt. Kasperi Kapanen’s night ended after he cross-checked Eetu Luostarinen, and Perry delivered a late slash to Niko Mikkola, which surprisingly didn’t add to Edmonton’s staggering penalty-minute total of 85.
Draisaitl scored 1:06 into Game 1 (June 4), and Bennett found the back of the net 2:07 into Game 2 (June 6). Brad Marchand continued the trend of early goals in the Stanley Cup Final by getting on the board 56 seconds into Game 3. At 37, he became the oldest player to score in the first three games of a Cup Final, surpassing 35-year-old Frank Mahovlich’s mark from 1973 as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Marchand has 11 goals in his career while playing in the Stanley Cup Final, which is the most among active players. He has eight goals and 18 points through 20 outings this postseason. The veteran forward is making a strong case for himself to cash in on his next contract as an unrestricted free agent.
Related: Panthers Defeat Oilers 6-1 in Game 3, Take 2-1 Series Lead
Florida has benefited from opportunistic scoring binges versus the Oilers through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers netted three goals on the first eight shots in Game 1, three goals on the first 15 shots of Game 2, and four goals on the first 15 shots of Game 3.
After Sam Reinhart failed to connect with a cross-seam pass from Tkachuk during a Florida power play, it looked like it would be another challenging night at the office for the struggling sniper. However, Reinhart caught a break in the second period with a shot more reminiscent of his past success, restoring the Panthers’ two-goal advantage shortly after Perry made it 2-1. Klingberg skated into the referee after Aleksander Barkov applied some forechecking pressure, and Verhaeghe set up Reinhart, who got his first goal in six games.
Before Monday’s two-point outburst, it was fair to wonder if Reinhart was still dealing with the injury he sustained in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final versus the Carolina Hurricanes. He missed two matches because of a lower-body issue and hasn’t looked like himself since returning to the lineup. However, the 29-year-old winger’s performance in Game 3 was an encouraging development.
Despite the team’s success this postseason, the Florida power play had been a concerning letdown at Amerant Bank Arena. The Panthers entered Game 3 with one goal on the man advantage across 28 opportunities at home in the playoffs. Fortunately, they received plenty of chances to remedy that issue on Monday night, scoring three times on 11 power plays.
Carter Verhaeghe’s power-play tally gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead late in the first period. Ekblad tickled the twine in the third after receiving a great no-look, behind-the-back feed from Reinhart, and Evan Rodrigues scored on a one-timer during a two-man advantage late in the final frame. Rodrigues leads all skaters with four power-play points in the Stanley Cup Final, while Schmidt is right behind with three. Schmidt had only five goals and 19 points in 80 appearances during the regular season but has three markers and 12 points through 20 playoff outings.
The Panthers played a complete game on Monday and got the Oilers to unravel. Florida is a frustrating team to play against, and the situation gets worse for the opposition when the Panthers build a lead. Getting the Oilers to engage in extracurricular activities after the whistle when they needed to focus on getting going offensively was the nail in the coffin in Game 3. Players like Marchand, Bennett, and Tkachuk thrive in those situations because they can continue to produce while making opponents try to seek retribution. Kane and Perry enjoy that style, too, but it plays into the hands of the Panthers perfectly. Even Luostarinen and Mikkola had the Oilers seeing red due to pesky plays and smiling taunts.
The Panthers can be suffocating on both the forecheck and the backcheck while wearing down their rivals. The Oilers will need to regain their composure in Game 4 on Thursday (June 12) to turn the best-of-seven into a best-of-three, or else Florida could be within striking distance of a second straight championship.
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