SUNRISE, Fla. — Taking full advantage of Edmonton’s sloppiest showing in weeks, the Florida Panthers steamrolled the Oilers 6-1 on Monday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, claiming a 2-1 lead in the series.
Veteran forward Brad Marchand continued his standout postseason, becoming the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a final. Sam Bennett, who leads the NHL with 14 playoff goals, added another after delivering a heavy hit on Vasily Podkolzin that led to a turnover and breakaway finish. Together, Marchand and Bennett have now combined for eight goals in the series, helping power a Florida team that dominated in nearly every facet of the game.
“We ended up playing the way Florida wanted us to,” admitted Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, who was pulled after allowing five goals on 23 shots. “They were great tonight.”
The scoring didn’t stop there. Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart each tallied their first goals of the Final, Aaron Ekblad netted one that chased Skinner from the crease, and Evan Rodrigues capped things off late to complete the rout.
“We’re a very deep team,” Marchand said. “That’s one of our biggest strengths — our depth, from the front end to the back end and in goal.”
On the defensive side, Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall, stopping 32 shots and earning loud “Bobby! Bobby!” chants from the South Florida crowd. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner was sharp on the few high-quality chances the Oilers managed to generate.
“Nothing’s ever perfect, but this time of year you need world-class goaltending — and that’s what we get consistently,” said Reinhart.
Edmonton’s lone goal came from 40-year-old Corey Perry, the oldest player in the series, who beat Bobrovsky with slick hands on a power play. Still, the Oilers struggled to find their rhythm. Connor McDavid was quiet again, and the team unraveled with 15 penalties, including three minors and a misconduct from Evander Kane. A late-game brawl inflated the total to 85 penalty minutes, with misconducts issued to players like Trent Frederic and Darnell Nurse, who fought Jonah Gadjovich before being ejected.
“Emotions run extremely high in these games,” said Marchand. “This is the time of year you live for — you’ve got to enjoy every minute.”
While Games 1 and 2 were tightly contested overtime battles, Game 3 was a one-sided affair. The Oilers grew visibly frustrated, with Jake Walman at one point resorting to squirting water at Panthers players from the bench.
With an extra day off before Game 4 on Thursday, the Panthers now have a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead and move one step closer to repeating as Stanley Cup champions.
“Game 4 is a really big game,” said McDavid. “It’s a big swing game.”
