Five key stats from the Florida Panthers' Game 3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning
The Florida Panthers suffered a setback in their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series with a 5-1 blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena.
Florida still leads the best-of-7 series 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Monday (7 p.m., ESPN, ESPN+, Scripps Sports, Panthers+).
Here are five notable stats from the Panthers' loss.
34: The Panthers put up a series-high 34 shots on goal against Andrei Vasilevskiy but only got one in the back of the net when Matthew Tkachuk scored 2:43 into regulation.
Vasilevskiy was other-worldly otherwise. According to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick, Vasilevskiy faced 15 high-danger shots on goal and stopped 14 of them. His expected goals against was 4.13 and yet he only let the one goal slip by him.
Saturday was the 10th time the Panthers have gotten no more than one goal in a playoff game despite firing off at least 34 shots on goal. Half of those games have come against Tampa Bay.
50: Tkachuk's first-period goal marked his 50th career playoff point since joining the Panthers. In that stretch, from 2023 to now, Tkachuk's 50 points ranks fourth behind only the Edmonton Oilers trio of Connor McDavid (69), Leon Draisaitl (54) and Evan Bouchard (54). His 20 goals are tied with Zach Hyman for second behind only Draisaitl (25). His 30 assists are third behind McDaivd (51) and Bouchard (42).
5 minutes: The Panthers have opened scoring in all three games of the series so far — and each game-opening goal has occurred within the first five minutes of regulation.
Sam Bennett opened Game 1 with his deflection goal 3:44 into the game. Nate Schmidt scored the first goal and eventual game-winner in Game 2 4:15 into the contest. And then Tkachuk got the scoring started in Game 3 2:43 into regulation.
Minus-4: The Panthers' top defense pair of Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad were a rare minus-4 on Saturday, meaning the Panthers were outscored by four goals when the duo was on the ice. They were out there for every Tampa Bay goal outside of the empty netter.
For context, Forsling, who was a career plus-26 in the playoffs prior to Saturday's game, had never been worse than a minus-3 in his first 63 career playoff games and only had a negative plus-minus in 14 games overall.
Ekblad, playing in his first game since March 8 after serving a 20-game suspension, had been a plus-11 for his playoff career entering Saturday. He had one career minus-4 game in the playoffs before: Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against Edmonton on June 15, when Florida lost 8-1.
69 percent: Teams that lead a best-of-7 playoff series 2-1 after three games have advanced to the next round nearly 69 percent of the team in NHL history. The total record is 386-175, or 68.8 percent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Saints Defensive Star Arrested, Per Report
Former Saints Defensive Star Arrested, Per Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former New Orleans Saints linebacker and current FOX football analyst Jonathan Vilma was reportedly arrested earlier this week. Advertisement Vilma, 43, was allegedly arrested in his hometown of Miami on Wednesday evening, according to Andy Slater, a Miami area reporter. Slater goes on to say that Vilma was pulled over for driving a vehicle with expired tags, then also cited for driving with a license that had been suspended since October of 2023. Reports also indicate that a bench warrant had been issued for Vilma in the state of Florida. This was a result of him not appearing for a scheduled court appearance after being cited for driving under a suspended license in Miami Beach back in April of this year. Sep 8, 2011; New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) during a game against the Green Bay Packers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Jonathan Vilma starred as a linebacker for the Miami Hurricanes between 2000 and 2003. He was part of a national championship team with the Hurricanes and was a three-time All-Big East selection as well as a 2003 1st Team All-American. Advertisement Vilma was the 12th overall choice in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He won the 2004 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and led the league in solo and combined tackles in 2005. In four years with the Jets through 2007, Vilma made one Pro Bowl (2005) and had 6 interceptions, 2.5 sacks, and 17 tackles for loss while averaging 110 tackles per season. He was traded to the New Orleans Saints during the 2008 offseason in exchange for a fourth-round draft choice. Feb 7, 2010; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) throws under pressure from the New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) during Super Bowl XLIV. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images Vilma spent six seasons with the Saints and was an integral part of their Super Bowl XLIV championship team during the 2009-10 season. Advertisement During his time with New Orleans, Vilma earned two Pro Bowl appearances. As a Saint, he intercepted 7 passes, recorded 8 sacks, forced or recovered 17 fumbles, and had 28 stops for negative yardage. For the last several years, Vilma has been a color analyst for NFL games on FOX Sports and has also been part of college football coverage for the network. Jonathan Vilma was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2017. He is on this year's ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame. Related: Derek Carr Further Explains Retirement Decision From New Orleans Saints Related: Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 93 Related: Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 94 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Final Game 4 odds, tips and betting trends - June 12, 2025
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Final Game 4 odds, tips and betting trends - June 12, 2025 Tune in to see Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT when the Edmonton Oilers visit the Florida Panthers. The Panthers lead 2-1 in the series. Florida earned a 6-1 victory at home its last time out on June 9 against the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton played on the road in its last game on June 9, and fell 6-1 against the Florida Panthers. Here is everything you need to prepare for this Stanley Cup Final contest. Stream NHL games and originals all season long on ESPN+! Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers odds and betting lines NHL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Tuesday at 1:51 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Favorite: Panthers (-149) Panthers (-149) Underdog: Oilers (+124) Oilers (+124) Over/under: 6.5 Watch the NHL on Fubo! Panthers stats and trends Florida has won 49 of its 81 games as a favorite this season. Through 57 games with moneyline odds lower than -149 this season, the Panthers have been victorious 35 times. The moneyline odds say Florida has a 59.8% chance of winning this game. Florida has combined with its opponent to score more than 6.5 goals in 43 of 102 games this season. Over the past 10 games, the Panthers have claimed 80.0% of the possible points with a 7-2-1 record. They have averaged 4.1 goals per game (41 total) during that stretch. On the defensive end, the Panthers have given up 20 goals (2.0 per game) in those 10 matchups. Oilers stats and trends
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Not our best': Undisciplined Oilers thumped 6-1 by Panthers in ugly Game 3
SUNRISE - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the puck with Sergei Bobrovsky at his mercy. The Oilers forward — an injury question mark coming into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final — fired high and wide of the Panthers' goal with his team enjoying an early power play. It was about as good as things would get for Edmonton on an ugly Monday night that saw Florida dominate in picking up a resounding 6-1 victory to grab a 2-1 lead in the NHL title series. 'Not our best,' Oilers captain Connor McDavid said of his team's performance. 'I don't think our best has shown up all series long, but it's coming.' It better happen quick. A knife-edged matchup through 8 1/2 periods — a 4-3 Edmonton overtime victory and a 5-4 Florida triumph in double OT — didn't follow the same pattern after shifting from Alberta's capital to Sunrise's stifling heat. 'We didn't play very well, that's evident,' said Oilers winger Evander Kane, who took a pair of penalties in the first period. 'We have nobody to blame but ourselves.' Brad Marchand scored 56 seconds after puck drop to send Amerant Bank Arena into an early frenzy before that man-advantage chance where Nugent-Hopkins ripped that puck off the glass. The Oilers were undisciplined from there with three minor penalties in the offensive zone and another for too many men on the ice before the first intermission. The Panthers finally made the visitors pay when Carter Verhaeghe went bar down on Stuart Skinner. Corey Perry cut the deficit in half 100 seconds into the middle period on a power play as Edmonton briefly showed signs of life, but a turnover by Oilers defenceman John Klingberg led to Sam Reinhart making it 3-1. Sam Bennett then crushed Edmonton winger Vasily Podkolzin to create a turnover that led to his own breakaway goal before Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues rounded out the scoring on man advantages in the third. The Oilers played into the Panthers' hands all night, coming unhinged with scuffles after the whistle — something they had largely avoided through two games. Florida, which defeated Edmonton in seven to capture the franchise's first championship 12 months ago, showed again why its roster is littered with players adept at straddling or crossing the officiating line. And, from the Oilers' perspective, the calls have been tilted in the Panthers' favour. 'They seem to get away with it more than we do,' Kane said of the gamesmanship. 'It's tough to find the line. They're doing just as much stuff as we are … there seems to be a little bit more attention on our group.' Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, whose team felt there should have been a too-many-men penalty on Florida in extra time of Game 2, had a biting take on the refereeing so far in the series. '(Wes McCauley and Francis Charron) did an outstanding job,' he said of Monday's officiating crew. 'They even caught the too-many-men penalty in the first period, which was too many men. 'They caught us there. I just wish they had been calling the game in Game 2 in overtime.' Skinner said it won't be difficult to flush the result. 'It's one game,' the netminder said after getting the hook following Florida's fifth goal on 23 shots. 'They could've beat us 12-0 and it's the same result. It's still just 2-1 (in the series). 'It might feel a little bit harder just because we weren't in the game, but it doesn't change how we're going to respond.' Both teams pivoted to message-sending mode in the third period, including a long fight between Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse and Florida forward Jonah Gadjovich. 'Boys being boys,' Knoblauch said. 'Just trying to make investments for the next game.' McDavid said his group can, if necessary, match the Panthers' physical style moving forward. 'We feel like we can play any game,' he said. 'When the game's out of hand, you're going to see that stuff.' Edmonton now has 48 hours to regroup before Game 4 on Thursday. 'You go back home at 2-2 or down 3-1 … it's a big swing,' said McDavid, whose team will host Game 5 on Saturday. 'It's a pivotal game. There's no doubt about it.' The Oilers will need a lot more — offence, discipline and composure — in a contest that could go a long way in determining if their Cup script is any different this time around. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
