It was a rough night for the Oilers, in every sense.
A 6-1 beatdown at the hands of the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final has the Oilers trailing two games to one — and tempers flared hard late in the third period, ending in a full-on brawl and 80 minutes in penalties.
Florida’s Brad Marchand opened the scoring less than a minute in, adding another chapter to a stunning postseason run by the 37-year-old veteran. Marchand made history, becoming the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a Cup Final.
After a Carter Verhaeghe power play goal made it 2-0 Panthers, Edmonton briefly swung momentum with a Corey Perry tally early in the second. But Florida responded ruthlessly. Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett buried goals before the period ended, stretching the lead to 4-1. Bennett’s goal — his fourth of the series — tied Marchand for the team lead in the Final.
The Panthers added two more in the third, including another power play strike from Evan Rodrigues. Their dominance with the man advantage has been a major storyline, scoring five power play goals in three games.
Things spiralled out of control late. Trent Frederic cracked his stick across Bennett, triggering a brawl that saw nearly every skater on the ice throw punches. Evander Kane picked up a misconduct for slashing, and emotions boiled over again as Oilers players went after Matthew Tkachuk.
Florida, defending their 2024 title, now sits two wins away from going back-to-back. Game 4 is Thursday in Sunrise.
The Oilers need answers — fast — or risk watching history repeat itself.
