SUNRISE, FLA - Panthers pounce. It's what they do.
In Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, the Florida Panthers did indeed jump all over the Edmonton Oilers, with a couple of usual suspects doing damage.
Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand once again led the charge as the Cats looked faster and more focused than the Oilers. In the end, it was a 6-1 trouncing that gave Florida a 2-1 lead in the series and Edmonton needing some serious introspection after an outing that lacked a lot of discipline.
The first period got off to the same quick start as the previous two games of the series, with Marchand finding a puck out of a scramble and wristing one past Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner.
After that, the opening stanza was, unfortunately, a parade to the penalty box for both teams.
There were eight minors called in all - two on Edmonton's Evander Kane, whose physicality became a double-edged sword for the Oilers. Despite all the man-advantages, the score remained 1-0 until Viktor Arvidsson was given the gate for goalie interference on Sergei Bobrovsky with less than three minutes to go. Florida made the Oilers pay on the ensuing power play with Carter Verhaeghe cashing in off a sweet feed from Evan Rodrigues in the bumper position.
The Oilers showed some life early in the second as Corey Perry continued his awesome playoff run, popping in a rebound on Bobrovsky's doorstep to cut the lead in half. But a Sam Reinhart wrister put Florida back up by two after the Panthers forced a turnover on Jake Walman in the offensive zone less than two minutes later.
The deluge continued when Eetu Luostarinen sent Sam Bennett in alone on a breakaway after an offensive zone turnover by Vasily Podkolzin to make the score 4-1.
Things temporarily looked even worse for Edmonton after Connor McDavid was rocked by an open-ice hit from Aaron Ekblad, sending the Oilers captain down the tunnel. Luckily, McDavid returned soon after and seemed fine.
Heading into the third, the Oilers needed some pushback. But it was the Cats keeping the pressure on, and Ekblad extended the Florida lead to 5-1 with a blast on the power play off a great behind-the-back Reinhart pass. That was also the end of Skinner's night, as he was replaced by Calvin Pickard - but to be fair, this was not about Skinner having a bad night but rather everyone in front of him.
The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Reacting To The Panthers And Oilers' Physical Game 3Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.
This was certainly the nastiest game of the series so far and a line brawl broke out midway through after Trent Frederic mugged Bennett. Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich had an extended fight near center ice while even Connor Brown and Nate Schmidt threw down with each other.
Edmonton basically spent the rest of the game attacking Panthers, leading to yet another parade to the penalty box and a number of game misconducts. Rodrigues put home an emphatic slap shot goal with less than four minutes to go as a rejoinder.
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.