Stanley Cup Final live updates: Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers, Game 3

Yahoo

20 hours ago

Florida Panthers fans react during a watch party after their team scored against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.
The best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final is now essentially a best-of-5 set.
After splitting the opening games in Edmonton, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers now play the next two games in Sunrise, with the Panthers looking to take advantage of home ice in their quest to repeat as champions.
Advertisement
Game 3 on Monday is set for an 8 p.m. puck drop, with the game televised on TNT and truTV and available on streaming via Max.
Follow along throughout the game for live updates, news, analysis and commentary.
Panthers win Game 3, Edmonton loses its cool
In a game with 17 power plays, many of them after the Panthers took a three-goal lead and Edmonton began venting, the Panthers won 6-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
Rodrigues. Panthers 6, Edmonton 1
On a two-man advantage in an increasingly nasty last 10 minutes filled with misconducts as officials just tried to push this game to a finish, Evan Rodrigues scored from the left circle at 16:10 of the third period.
Advertisement
Panthers 6, The Oil 1.
Competitive phase done, down go the gloves
Down 5-1, Edmonton right wing Trent Frederic started crosschecking Sam Bennett in the neutral zone. Dissatisfied with Bennett's response (ignoring it with a chuckle), Frederic stepped up the crosschecks and punches. Jonah Gadjovich flew in to give Frederic more response and satisfaction. A.J. Greer went after Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm with a furious assault. Eventually, Gadjovich and Edmonton's Darnell Nurse dropped the gloves in one of the best and longest fights you'll see in a Stanley Cup Final.
Frederic got crosschecking and roughing minors. Nurse got a roughing minor and fighting major. Greer and Bennett got roughing minors. Gadjovich got a fighting major. All of them and Ekholm got misconducts.
Ekblad scores, chases Skinner. Panthers 5, Edmonton 1
Redemption Monday for Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Advertisement
Ekblad, minus two and minus one in the first two games, was a plus one after two periodsin Monday's Game 3, had a game-high five hits and fired home a power play goal off a saucy behind-the-back turn from Evan Rodrigues that put goalie Stuart Skinner out of position. The Panthers' second power play goal of the night expanded the lead to 5-1 3:27 into the third period.
That was all for Skinner, who put the Panthers on that power play by flipping a hard around attempt into the stands. Skinner gave up five goals on 23 shots
End of second: Panthers 4, Edmonton 1
With 44.7 seconds left in the second period, Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse looked at the back of Panthers center Anton Lundell in a board scrum, lightly crosschecked Lundell, lightly crosschecked Lundell, then crosschecked Lundell like Lundell said a 'Yo, mama' snap.
Advertisement
The dumb penalty indicated the frustration the Panthers once again forced upon Edmonton in one of the second periods of this series.
The Panthers have a 5-2 scoring advantage in the three second periods while establishing a physical dominance, no more so than Monday. See below for the Sam Bennett hits that preceded his goal. After dough-popping Connor McDavid midway through the period, Panthers' defenseman Aaron Ekblad smashed Corey Perry into being one with the boards. Perry rose as if feeling all of his 40 years plus someone else's 40 years.
Ekblad had a game-high five hits after two periods.
Ekblad vs. McDavid went better for the Cats this time
Edmonton center Connor McDavid's usual sizzling slashes through the neutral zone got interrupted Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who McDavid made look like a manatee trying to swim on ice on a dazzling Game 2 assist, blasted McDavid with a check a that sent McDavid to the bench and briefly to the locker room.
Advertisement
McDavid was back for his next shift.
Two Sams call and raise. Panthers up, 4-1
Just 1:20 after Perry's goal, the Panthers began pounding out the kinds of goals that have allowed them to own the second periods in this series. Sam Reinhart matched Perry's goal to restore the Panthers' two-goal lead and Sam Bennett expanded it to 4-1.
First, center Aleksander Barkov hounded Oilers defenseman John Klingberg around the Edmonton net and right into referee Francis Charron along the deep left boards. Klingberg lost his feet and the puck. Carter Verhaeghe fed Reinhart in the left circle and Reinhart struck for a 3-1 lead.
Advertisement
Four minutes later, Bennett obliterated Vasily Podkolzin at the Panthers line, smashed Klingberg against the boards, then, when Eetu Luostarinen stripped a still dazed Podkolzin at the blue line, accelerated into space. Luostarinen gave the breakaway to Bennett instead of taking it himself, and Bennett proved the worth of his teammate's generosity by beating Skinner.
About that Panthers penalty kill...Edmonton gets one back
Just 20 seconds from another successful penalty kill, Edmonton worked the puck around high in the zone while rotating until Panthers defenseman Seth Jones left the Corey Perry alone in front of the net. Not a good idea, even if Perry's almost as old as the last Super Bowl tickets bought by Dolphins fans.
Advertisement
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard spotted Perry, fed him on the doorstep and the Panthers lead was down to 2-1 at 1:40 of the second.
End of first period, Panthers lead special teams duel, 2-0
Somebody had to score on the power play as the Panthers and Oilers refused to allow referees Wes McCauley and Francis Charron to swallow their whistles, putting each other on the power play seven times in the first period. Only 8:45 of the first period was spent five-on-five, only 10:01 spent at even strength.
The Panthers maintained good offensive zone time on their power play and actually created one or two chances on each power play. Finally, their rotten (at home) power play bore fruit when Carter Verhaeghe walked into the left circle and beat Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner over the right shoulder with a snipe.
Advertisement
That put the Panthers up 2-0 at 17:45 of the first period, made the Panthers two for 32 at home in the playoffs on the power play and gave defenseman Nate Schmidt another assist, his ninth of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Panthers snuffed all three Edmonton power plays, preventing the circle-to-circle passes through the penalty killing box from Connor McDavid while also respecting his shot. Also, the Panthers kept goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's sight lines clear and efficiently cleared rebounds.
Appropriately, the period ended with Panthers center Anton Lundell going to the box for roughing. Really, Lundell was sent off for sparking a post-horn mini-rumble with an extra poke at Skinner as time expired in the period. That brought the predictable pushing-and-face washing response from the Oilers, which brought the predictable defense of Lundell from the Panthers.
Marchand, who ended Game 2, gets the Game 3 party started
On the game's second shift, off a face-off in the right circle of the Edmonton zone, Panthers center Anton Lundell circled the net right to left and tried to pass back to Eetu Luostarinen at the right post. When Luostarinen couldn't handle the pass, Lundell circled the net, came out from behind the left post and tapped the puck to Brad Marchand.
Advertisement
The 37-year-old Game 2 double overtime scorer fired home his eighth goal of these playoffs 56 seconds into the game. Panthers 1, Edmonton 0.
Marchand has the Panthers last three goals in the series. He's the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a Stanley Cup Final, replacing Frank Mahavolich, who was 35 when he did it in the 1973 Stanley Cup Final for Montreal against the Rangers.
RNH is in; starting lineups
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is in. Full starting lineups:
Panthers: Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart/Forsling-Ekblad
Oilers: RNH-McDavid-Perry/Ekholm-Bouchard
Bobrovsky vs Skinner in net.
A look at the lineups
With A.J. Greer drawing into the lineup for the Panthers, the only change from Game 2 is on Florida's fourth line. They'll start out as follows...
Advertisement
Forward lines
Carter Verhaeghe-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues-Sam Bennett-Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer-Tomas Nosek-Jonah Gadjovich
Defense pairs
Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola-Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt-Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Edmonton, meanwhile, has swapped around its defense pairs and still has to formally say whether Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is playing. He was listed as a game-time decision but went through warmups and took line rushes. Here's how the Oilers should look if he is indeed in...
Forward lines
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Connor McDavid-Corey Perry
Advertisement
Evander Kane-Leon Draisaitl-Kasperi Kapanen
Trent Frederic-Adam Henrique-Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin-Mattias Janmark-Viktor Arvidsson
Defense pairs
Mattias Ekholm-Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse-John Klingberg
Brett Kulak-Jake Walman
Goaltenders
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Series schedule
▪ Game 1 — Oilers 4, Panthers 3 (overtime): The Panthers had a two-goal lead early in the second period but couldn't hold on as Edmonton tied the game early in the third and won it on a Leon Draisaitl power-play goal with 31 seconds left in overtime.
▪ Game 2 — Panthers 5, Oilers 4 (double overtime): The Oilers tied the game with 17.8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime for a second consecutive game. Brad Marchand scored the game-winner 8:05 into the second OT period to secure the Florida win and even the series 1-1.
Advertisement
▪ Game 3: Tonight
▪ Game 4: Thursday, June 12, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena
▪ Game 5: Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Edmonton's Rogers Place
▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, June 17, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena
▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Friday, June 20, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Edmonton's Rogers Place
Pregame reading
Need to catch up ahead of Game 3? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald's coverage over the past few days.
▪ 'He just finds a way': Panthers' Brad Marchand, at 37, has another big playoff moment
▪ After excelling on road all playoffs, it's time for Panthers to produce at home in Cup Final
Advertisement
▪ Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final changes rinks. And, probably, little else
▪ Panthers know Bobrovsky's importance in Cup Final. 'We're not taking him for granted'
▪ Panthers' top line hasn't scored yet in Stanley Cup Final. Is it a cause for concern?
▪ Legendary lineages: Have the Panthers joined South Florida's sports dynasties from the past?