The Florida Panthers are one win away from their first Stanley Cup championship after a 4-3 win in Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Panthers, up 3-0 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final, can wrap up the series in Game 4 Saturday night in Edmonton.
The Oilers were hoping to get back in the series Thursday night with their first home game of the series. But the Panthers took advantage of Edmonton’s second-period mistakes to pull away before the Oilers nearly rallied in the third period.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Sam Bennett and Aleksander Barkov (returning from a Game 2 injury) scored a little more than six minutes apart in the second period after Warren Foegele had tied the game with Edmonton’s first 5-on-5 goal of the series.
Barkov also had an assist for his eighth multiple-point game of the playoffs.
"What his gift is, he defines everybody else's game," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of his captain.
The Panthers, usually strong in the third period, gave up two third-period goals but held on.
Only four teams in NHLhistory have rallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit to win, and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team to do it in the Stanley Cup Final.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was encouraged by how the team responded when trailing 4-1 in the third period.
"There's a difference between frustration and quitting," he said. "There's absolutely no quit. There's a belief that we can do this, so we just need to keep pushing."
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A closer look at Game 3:
Aleksander Barkov, Panthers: Knocked out of Game 2 by a Leon Draisaitl hit, he set up the first goal with a takeaway and nice pass. Then he scored in the second period. The Selke Trophy winner was a defensive force and won 63% of his faceoffs.
Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers: He continued to make his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) with 32 saves. He stopped Zach Hyman and Dylan Holloway not long before the Panthers started their second-period flurry.
Connor McDavid, Oilers: He had two assists in the third period as the Oilers nearly came back.
Oilers power play: Edmonton switched it up with more movement and had six shots on their three power plays. But the Oilers fell to 0-for-10 in the Final.
Stuart Skinner, Oilers: His mishandling of the puck behind the net led to the Panthers’ go-ahead goal in the second period. He has allowed nine goals on 68 shots in the Final.
Oilers defensive mistakes: The Panthers seemed to pounce and score whenever the Oilers made a mistake. "We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit today," Draisaitl told reporters. "We made some individual and collective mistakes that they immediately took advantage of."
2014: Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks
2010: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins
1975: New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
1942: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings (in Stanley Cup Final)
The Red Wings swept the Washington Capitals in 1998. The Stanley Cup Final was swept every year from 1995 to 1998.
The Oilers press but Florida hangs on to win 4-3.
Panthers hit the post on a clear. There are 61 seconds left.
Ryan McLeod tips in a Brett Kulak shot at 14:43 to pull Edmonton within one goal. McDavid picks up another point.
Philip Broberg takes a Connor McDavid pass and fires a shot that bounces off Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola and past Sergei Bobrovsky at 6:02. McDavid gets his second point of the final.
Coach Kris Knoblauch has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together, as he did in the third period of Game 1. Corey Perry is their linemate. Zach Hyman was in Game 1.
Panthers still have to kill off a penalty. And they do. The Panthers are the NHL's top team in the third period.
A disastrous period for the Oilers. After Edmonton tied it up, Florida took advantage of Oilers mistakes. Stuart Skinner misplayed the puck behind the net. Darnell Nurse had the puck stolen. Aleksander Barkov scores on a 2-on-1 rush.
Edmonton is trailing big despite outshooting Florida 16-8 in the second period. Top defense pairing Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm are -2. Leon Draisaitl is -3.
Aaron Ekblad is called for hooking Darnell Nurse. Edmonton has plenty of room to move around on this power play.
Edmonton's Corey Perry is called for goalie interference for sitting on Sergei Bobrovsky. Sam Bennett is called for roughing Perry. The referee tells Perry to sit down in the penalty box.
The Edmonton crowd is silent after Aleksander Barkov scores at 15:31. He has a goal and an assist in the game. The Panthers get three goals in a little more than six minutes to break open the game.
Sam Bennett takes the puck from Darnell Nurse and Matthew Tkachuk feeds Bennett for a goal at 13:57.
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner misplays the puck behind the net and Eetu Luostarinen feeds Vladimir Tarasenko, who beats Skinner at 9:12.
Zach Hyman gets a little room for a good shot, but Sergei Bobrovsky makes a glove save.
He beats Sergei Bobrovsky up high on a breakaway at 1:49. Foegele missed most of Game 2 because of a kneeing major and game misconduct. It's his second goal of the playoffs. The Oilers want to shoot high on Bobrovsky, who's so good at protecting the bottom of the net.
Remainder of the 4-on-4 is over.
The Oilers controlled most of the first period, but Florida has the lead after Sam Reinhart's 4-on-4 goal. The Oilers have just one goal in seven periods of the final. Sergei Bobrovsky makes 13 saves, including three on Connor McDavid.
Aleksander Barkov starts a rush down ice after a defensive play and Sam Reinhart deflects in a Gustav Forsling pass for a goal at 18:58.
After Sergei Bobrovsky makes another save, Florida's Matthew Tkachuk and Edmonton's Brett Kulak are called for roughing during a scrum. It's 4-on-4 hockey.
Once again, the Oilers move the puck around a lot more. Sergei Bobrovsky stops two shot, then one from Connor McDavid after the penalty expires.
Defenseman Brandon Montour is called for slashing Zach Hyman. He also kills penalties for Florida.
The Oilers move the puck around more and get some good looks. Sergei Bobrovsky stops a Leon Draisaitl one-timer.
Aleksander Barkov puts the puck over the glass. He is Florida's top penalty killer. The Panthers PK is 7-for-7 in the first two games.
The Panthers are held without a shot. Edmonton's Connor Brown gets a chance on a short-handed rush.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins called for interference against Sam Bennett. Last game, the Panthers ended the Oilers' streak of 34 consecutive kills.
The Panthers use defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling against Connor McDavid.
We're underway in Edmonton.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has Connor McDavid away from Aleksander Barkov to start. Leon Draisaitl, who injured Barkov in the third period of Game 2, is out there to start. But Panthers coach Paul Maurice doesn't have defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling out there to start. He could be using them against McDavid.
C - Leon Draisaitl
W - Ryan McLeod
W - Corey Perry
D - Cody Ceci
D - Brett Kulak
G - Stuart Skinner
Perry and Ceci are back in the lineup after being healthy scratches in Game 2.
C - Aleksander Barkov
W - Evan Rodrigues
W - Sam Reinhart
D - Brandon Montour
D - Niko Mikkola
G - Sergei Bobrovsky
Rodrigues, who has three goals in the final, is moving up to the top line.
Game 3 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Thursday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Game 3 will be shown nationally on ABC in the United States. In Canada, it will be shown on Sportsnet and CBC.
Game 3 can be streamed on ESPN+ and services that carry ABC, such as Fubo.
Edmonton's Evander Kane has been dealing with an injury. Corey Perry, a healthy scratch in Game 2, will play in Game 3. Also out: forward Sam Carrick and Vincent Desharnais. In are Cody Ceci and Derek Ryan.
The Montreal Canadiens won in 1993. Read more about Canada's Stanley Cup drought.
They are 2-1, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins and losing to the New York Rangers.
They are 1-2, beating the Los Angeles Kings and losing to the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars.
Odds via BetMGM
Spread
Oilers -1.5
Moneyline
Oilers -140
Panthers +120
Over-under
Over 5.5: +105
Under 5.5: -125
None. They reached the final previously in 1996 and 2023.
Five. They won in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. They also went to the final in 1983 and 2006.
The 2023 Panthers and 2006 Oilers both won Game 3 at home after losing the first two games on the road. The Panthers lost their series in five games and Oilers in seven games.
Oilers' Stuart Skinner (11-7, 2.51 goals-against average, .896 save percentage) vs. Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky (14-5, 2.02, .915)
All NHL playoff series are best-of-seven.
Coach Paul Maurice doesn't think that the team's delay in arriving to Edmonton on Wednesday will have an impact on the team's play in Game 3.
"There's some people who are struggling right now in Florida. There's flooding," he said. "So it's a serious thing that happened there. But our day was not serious."
2020, during the COVID pandemic bubble. The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Dallas Stars in six games that year. The last time before a full building of fans was in 2006 when the Oilers lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said he thought McDavid had good chances against the Panthers in Game 1 despite playing against Barkov.
It will be easier to keep them apart with the Oilers having the last line change at home, but not a priority.
“I think we’re a better team when we’re rolling four lines and we’re not worried about matchups," Knoblauch said. "It’s easier for the players to just go out there and do their job.”
Edmonton's Evander Kane has been playing hurt and Darnell Nurse was injured in Game 2 and played fewer than five minutes. Will they play in Game 3?
“You’re going to have to wait and find out,” Oilers coach Kris Klobauch told reporters after Thursday's practice.
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