The Florida Panthers played their best game of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night in Sunrise. Florida took an early lead and kept their foot on the gas, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 3 and taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. What turned out to be a great night for the Panthers was anything but for Edmonton. As the game continued to get away from them, the Oilers resorted to dishing out some questionable hits resulting in the expected fisticuffs. At one point during the third period, every non-goalie player on the ice was fighting. It will be interesting to see how the two teams respond to a game like this, because it’s far from what we saw in Edmonton during Games 1 and 2. Let’s get to the Game 3 takeaways: PENALTY-FEST Well before the game got out of hand and the misconducts starting piling up, the Panthers and Oilers played a first period that saw more special teams play than even strength. A total of eight minor penalties were called during the opening 20 minutes, yet only one power play goal was scored. By the time the dust settled on the night, officials had called a total of 140 penalty minutes. Edmonton finished 1-for-6 on the power play while Florida scored three times while up a man on a whopping 11 opportunities. To his credit, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice seemed to downplay the amount of penalties that were called. “Most of those weren't important, right?” Maurice said. “The last important ones were around the nine minute mark of the third period. Still, I watched that Vancouver-Dallas game where (Vancouver) scored three goals in a minute, so there's still a hockey game there at the nine minute mark, then we go into the power play. So all the ones after that don’t matter.” GLOVES WERE DROPPED Generally, you don’t often see fights in the Stanley Cup Final. That’s what made the third period of Game 3 so strange to see play out. Not only were there multiple fights, but at one point, everyone on the ice not wearing goalie gear was tied up with someone. The Oilers definitely lost their cool during that period. There is no arguing that. But even in moments of such anger and hostility, there is a camaraderie in how the players will stick up for their teammates that makes it pretty cool to see, especially with two teams as tight as the Panthers and Oilers. “I think you're going to get that answer from any team in the National Hockey League that’s playing in June, or we're not here. Both teams,” Maurice said. “There's so much passion in the game, by the time you've gone on this journey, Edmonton and Florida I believe are the two teams that have been on the longest journey for the last three years. We've both been through it, right? So both teams are going to stick up for each other. They care about each other. The core is pretty much the same for both teams. The drivers of the team are the same for the last three years, so we'll always have each other's back.” EKBLAD SHINES The first couple games of the Stanley Cup Final were a little rough on Florida’s top defensive pairing. Both Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling struggled during Game 1 and finished a combined minus-4 with no points and just one shot on goal apiece. Game 2 saw Forsling bounce back in a big way, making several spectacular defensive players, breaking up opportunities for Edmonton left and right, and in some very big moments. Ekblad was steady in Game 2, but boy did he look good in Game 3. The smooth skating blueliner appeared more comfortable on Monday night, finishing with a goal on three shots and a plus-1 rating to go with five hits and six penalty minutes. “I thought he was all energy in the first two games,” said Maurice. “He was covering a lot of ice, and tonight, I thought he was perfectly focused on the game. He was still doing it, but defined in the areas (like) when he was pinching. I thought he played a really smart, veteran game. He's a physical player. He can close the gap now. It’s all part of that, Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad, both of these guys came into the league as offensive players, but there's quite a bit more to their game than that, and (with) Aaron, that's on full display now.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers earn strong home victory in Game 3, take first series lead of Stanley Cup Final [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-earn-strong-home-victory-in-game-3-take-first-series-lead-of-stanley-cup-final] Panthers' Paul Maurice Makes Hilarious Aleksander Barkov Joke [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-paul-maurice-makes-hilarious-aleksander-barkov-joke] 3 Panthers Who Must Shine In Game 3 vs. Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/3-panthers-who-must-shine-in-game-3-vs-oilers] Panthers Reveal Lineup Changes For Game 3 vs. Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-reveal-lineup-changes-for-game-3-vs-oilers] Major Panthers-Sam Bennett Free Agency Update Revealed [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/major-panthers-sam-bennett-free-agency-update-revealed] Photo caption: Jun 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; A fight breaks out during the third period between Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers in game three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)
