SUNRISE, FLA - Panthers pounce. It's what they do. In Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, the Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] did indeed jump all over the Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers], with a couple of usual suspects doing damage. Sam Bennett [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/no-discipline-no-problem-sam-bennett-s-playoff-edge-gets-results-for-the-panthers] and Brad Marchand [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/favorite-player-of-all-time-roberto-luongo-shows-love-to-brad-marchand-after-overtime-winner] 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. "You guys have seen it enough," Panthers right winger Sam Reinhart said. "We're trying to play the same way every night, keep it as simple as possible and take away time and space." 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. "Playing with the lead is huge," said Marchand's teammate, Carter Verhaeghe. "Both teams want to have good starts, get your foot in the door and play with a lead. 'Marchy' has been huge all playoffs for us." 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 Verhaeghe [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/panthers-carter-verhaeghe-is-a-clutch-scorer-with-a-difference-maker-s-mindset] cashing in off a sweet feed from Evan Rodrigues in the bumper position. "He's got so much speed and one of the best releases in the game," Reinhart said about Verhaeghe. "There are moments when guys get nervous, and it seems like his heart rate might be 60, he's just skating around out there, doing his thing. And it's not like he plays a light game, either." 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. Bennett hit Podkolzin in open ice before the play. "He's been an animal these whole playoffs," Marchand said of Bennett. "He's built for this time of year with how competitive and intense he is and the physicality piece. That shift was a perfect example of his game: blows two guys up and somehow leads the rush after that and scores a beautiful goal. He can do it all." 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. Sam Bennett and Trent Frederic (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/8aea53ea-28d1-41be-9e8c-1b0967b724de.jpeg] Sam Bennett and Trent Frederic (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images) This was certainly the nastiest game of the series so far and a line brawl broke out midway through after Trent Frederic mugged Bennett [https://x.com/Sportsnet/status/1932269534699720762]. Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich had an extended fight near center ice while even Connor Brown and Nate Schmidt threw down with each other. " 'Gadjy' did an incredible job sticking up for the guys there and taking on Nurse, who's obviously a tough guy as well," Marchand said. "(The fourth line's) entire game, they carried so much emotion and gave us so much energy. There were a lot of momentum swings in our favor because of the style they play." 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. But Florida tried to keep its composure. "It's not too difficult; you're just trying to close out a game. That's what we did," Reinhart said. Rodrigues put home an emphatic slap shot goal with less than four minutes to go as a rejoinder. Just like that, the Panthers are two games away from defending their Stanley Cup championship. Game 4 takes place on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
