Edmonton Oilers
Panthers Dominate Oilers 6-1 in Chaotic Game 3 to Take Series Lead
The Edmonton Oilers were dominated by the Florida Panthers in Game 3, losing 6-1 in a game that included 140 penalty minutes.
The Florida Panthers made a resounding statement in Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Monday evening, throttling the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 to grab a 2-1 series advantage in the best-of-seven. In control of all but the first minute of the opening frame, Florida won every battle and forced the Oilers to play their game.
Coming back from Edmonton after earning an overtime win in Game 2, the Panthers found their rhythm and got under the Oilers’ skin, who lost their typically unshakable resolve. Edmonton had no response, allowing the game to become all about penalties and special teams play, a battle they badly lost as Florida continued to push and enforce their will, coming out ahead more often than not when the officials felt forced to manage the game.
The Panthers remained disciplined while pushing back and frustrating the Oilers, who, by the end of the game, had a relatively short bench. Edmonton was out of it by the third period and tried to turn the loss into something they could use to motivate them moving forward. They’ll now have two days to regroup.
Florida’s dominant win was powered by their top guys, who found the back of the net and took advantage of the opportunities the Oilers gave them, especially early in the first period when Edmonton got into undisciplined penalty trouble.
Brad Marchand scored 54 seconds in, extending his streak of three games with a goal. Sam Bennett, leading scorer for the NHL in this postseason, netted his 14th and third of the series. Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart each had one goal and one assist, and defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues cashed in Florida’s power-play opportunities — two of the team’s three power-play tallies.
The Panthers finished the night with a franchise-record 11 power plays, the most any team has had in one contest this season. The game had a total of more than 140 minutes in penalties.
Oilers Fell Apart in a Concerning Loss
The Oilers, who tried to put up a fight in the third period, fell apart at the seams.
Stuart Skinner allowed five goals on 23 attempts before being pulled early in the third after Ekblad’s marker. The goals weren’t Skinner’s fault, but the team had to do something to try to change momentum. Calvin Pickard couldn’t stop the bleeding, even if he only allowed one goal.
Corey Perry recorded Edmonton’s lone goal, but the rest of the game was defined by the Oilers’ failing to match Florida’s intensity level and thoughtful decision-making. Edmonton got hemmed in, made poor decisions with the puck under pressure, and took undisciplined penalties. By the time they tried to take their pound of flesh in the third, the officials had already decided to give 10-minute misconduct penalties to anyone who crossed any line.
In more ways than one, this was a beatdown by the Panthers, and this was by far Edmonton’s worst postseason effort since their early first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.
Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday night, and the Oilers will need to make a significant adjustment in their game if they’re to avoid falling into a 3-1 series deficit.
Next: Sam Bennett Expected to Stay with Panthers Despite UFA Status
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