Maurice hits milestone

New York Times

a day ago

Florida wins at home to take 2-1 series lead as Game 3 descends into constant fights Getty Images
The Florida Panthers thrashed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in a chaotic and violent Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, giving them a 2-1 lead in the series.
The game was characterized by constant scraps after the whistle, which descended into a full line brawl in the third period set off by Trent Frederic cross-checking Sam Bennett. That fight resulted in misconduct penalties that effectively ended the game for six players, and yet the remaining time still saw another 36 penalty minutes handed out.
Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett each scored for the third straight game in the series, while Florida also scored on three of its 11 (!) power plays.
Stuart Skinner was chased from the game after allowing five goals on 23 shots.
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Panthers score early and often in penalty-filled Game 3 rout of Oilers: Takeaways Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Imagn Images
Tonight's game will be memorable for a lot of reasons. But one that will probably fall under the radar is that this was Panthers head coach Paul Maurice's 1000th career win (regular season and playoffs combined) as a head coach, per the NHL.
He's just the third coach in NHL history to reach the milestone, alongside Scotty Bowman (1,467) and Joel Quenneville (1,090).
My favorite part is when he points and laughs at him. The pointing is extra annoying. Getty Images
Tonight's 140 combined penalty minutes are the fourth most in a Stanley Cup Final game in NHL history.
Here's the full list, per Sportsnet: Flames-Canadiens, 1986 Game 4 (176 combined penalty minutes) Panthers-Golden Knights, 2023 Game 2 (148) Canucks-Bruins, 2011 Game 3 (145) Oilers-Panthers, 2025 Game 3 (140) Getty Images
Jake Walman defends his team's actions after the game: "I mean it's for the Stanley Cup, you know. So f***. There's not an inch out there. It's a grown man's game out there. That's not for the faint of heart. Guys are putting everything on the line, you know?" Getty Images
Moshe P: If it were possible to lose a series in one game this would be it.
Douglas R: Embarrassing game for the NHL.
Jordan M: Real bush league business down the stretch but it still only counts as one loss. Will be interesting to see what version of Edmonton shows up in Game 4, I guess.
Jason I: I am seriously surprised how bad Edmonton has embarrassed themselves, not only with the score but with the way they played, just pathetic. Getty Images
Edmonton's 85 penalty minutes tonight rank as the third most by a team in the entire history of the Stanley Cup Final.
The record is held by the Canadiens, who took 90 penalty minutes against the Flames in 1986. NHL
140 total penalty minutes, including 85 for the Oilers.
35 total penalties, including 21 for Edmonton.
11 power plays for the Panthers. Getty Images
That was the Oilers' worst performance in weeks — since Game 2 of the opening round against the Kings.
Would you believe it if I told you the game ended with another fight? Perry wants a piece of Mikkola and everyone comes together. The refs eventually get the teams separated and we avoid another line brawl. Getty Images
This game is really … something.
Everything about it played into Florida's hands. Everything. Edmonton fell into the trap of trying to get nasty with Florida. It doesn't work.
P3 3:03 - Panthers 6, Oilers 1
Luostarinen takes a run at Kulak and gets called for charging. We'll play 4-on-4 until the next penalty that we'll certainly get. Getty Images
P3 3:44 - Panthers 6, Oilers 1
The Panthers cash in at 5-on-3 as Rodrigues beats Pickard at the near side from the faceoff circle.
Florida still has over a minute left of 5-on-4!
P3 4:13 - Panthers 5, Oilers 1
Kapanen cross-checks Luostarinen and sets off yet another scrap! The refs quickly get Kapanen out of there and end his night with a misconduct.
Kapanen gets into it with a Panthers fan as he makes his way into the tunnel. Getty Images
P3 5:16 - Panthers 5, Oilers 1
It's nonstop now. Klingberg holds Tkachuk while Walman spears him and then repeatedly punches him. The Panthers players come to Tkachuk's defense and we get more tussles.
Walman's night is over. The Panthers gain another power play from this scrap, giving them a 5-on-3 for more than a minute. Getty Images
P3 6:05 - Panthers 5, Oilers 1
Bouchard slashes Verhaeghe, dumping him to the ice, before Kane sticks him in the face for good measure.
Kane is called for a 5-minute major, which is reduced to a minor upon review. He's also given a 10-minute misconduct, ending his night.
Going back to the line brawl, six other players were given 10-minute misconducts, also ending their nights: Greer, Bennett, Gadjovich, Nurse, Ekholm and Frederic.
P3 7:15 - Panthers 5, Oilers 1
The latest power play passes without much incident, though Forsling tried to tussle with an Oilers player. Getty Images
P3 9:31 - Panthers 5, Oilers 1
After all that, a regular 5-on-4 power play for the Panthers.
Several players were given 10-minute misconducts, ending their nights, I'll bring you that full list shortly.
The last 9:31 is going to be a gong show. Getty Images
P3 9:31 - Panthers 5, Oilers 1
I've been telling you all game to expect the fistfights and now we've gotten them!
Frederic cross-checks Bennett, breaking his stick, and everyone grabs someone to hit. Greer and Ekholm go at it hard before they're broken up quickly.
Nurse and Gadjovich square off in the main card, while Schmidt and Brown tussle as the undercard.
Kulikov and Arvidsson were the final pair.