FORT LAUDERDALE – Even with a 5-5 play at Premium, the Florida Panthers loved what they saw when they beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final.
Long before things got out of hand at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday, the Panthers liked a lot about the game, especially in a fleeting moment without a special team.
Despite the whistle being blown away early and often, the Panthers spent 5-5 in the first two periods leading the Oilers with goals (3-0) and chances of scoring (12-4).
It kept the creases clean and allowed only one Heidanger shot attempt.
“We thought it was pretty good, 5-5,” coach Paul Maurice said. “It wasn’t the same kind of transition game for both teams. I think both teams were a little more patient with trying to do 5-5.
The Panthers, who won each of their final two games to get a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup final, had more success 5-5 than the Oilers in three games.
According to NaturalStattrick.com, they are leading 8-4 in goal and 88-69 in scoring chances in the series.
On the back end, the pair of Seth Jones and Nicomiccola are extremely effective at both ends of the Panthers, leading 5-5, 3-0. Despite playing tough minutes, the top pair of Aaron Eckbrad and Gustav Falling were also stubborn, abandoning only two goals.
In advance, the lines of Anton Randell, Brad Malkan and Etu Luastalinen are up 2-0, 5-5.
“Obviously, we’re a very deep team, not only offensively deep,” said Merchand. “A lot of people play a 200-foot game. There are also many great leaders in this group. Obviously, that’s one of our strengths, and I think the depth of the group from front-end to backend. It’s a way to coordinate this group and play the lineup in a certain way.
As they try to take a 3-1 series lead in Thursday’s Game 4 at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday, the Panthers know they’ll have to keep clicking 5-5 if they want to push the Oilers on the brink of elimination.
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Penalty Kill is King
Before the goal started to flow, it was a penalty kill that sparked for the Panthers.
Before Carter Verhaege doubled Florida’s lead 2-0, the Oilers had the opportunity to tie the game together in their first period with a man’s advantage, but were stopped off the board by a major killing.
Despite spending almost two minutes in the offensive zone, Edmonton was unable to enter the ditch as players like Gustav’s Fallsling continued to kill plays with incredible stick work.
During the pipe, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all four shots that came on his path.
“You’re building a moment and trying to stay there,” said Bobrovsky, who earned nine of his 32 saves in penalty kills. “You want to help everyone win in that moment.”
After being 3-3 in the first period with a penalty kill, the Panthers finished 6-6.
Series difference maker The Paent Kill has killed 13 of his previous 16 power plays as he has been the backbone of Florida’s success with the last two playoff runs.
The Forceling led the Panthers at 14:21 ice time that shuddered in the series, watching Aaron Eckbrad (11:07), Alexander Barkov (10:53), Seth Jones (8:19), Thomas Nose (7:59), Sam Reinhart (7:57) and Eetu Luastalinen (7:44).
In many ways, penalty kills are a beacon of Florida culture.
The Panthers were leading 5-1 in the third season of Game 3, but Nozk blocked the shot and brought the bench to his feet as he laid out to put his body in the line with a slow penalty kill.
“It’s a player like him,” Werhege said of the Nose. “He puts his body in the line for us for all the games. He plays very hard for us.
It could be said that killing is what gives the Panthers life.
The stars were suppressed
After commenting nine points (3 goals, six assists) in games 1 and 2, the superstar duo of Conor McDavid and Leon Dry Saitole was checked by the Panthers during game 3.
In loss, McDavid recorded one shot attempt, but Draisaitl was zero.
According to NaturalStattrick.com, this was the first time Draysightle has played the entire game in both the regular season and the playoffs without registering a single shot attempt.
Making that statistic even more impressive is the opportunity they had to make an impact.
Each player accumulated six minutes of ice time in the power plays of Game 3.
It’s just one game, but the Panthers have proven they can slow down the Edmonton star.
Big Game Bob
One player who has not slowed down is Bobrovsky.
32 saves in Game 3 – including stopping everything he saw with uniform strength – the winner of the two Vezina Trophy stands on his head in the Stanley Cup final.
After halting 22 Heidanger shots in games 1 and 2 of the series, Bobrovsky was rewarded by his teammates for having to face four Heidanger shots in game 3.
Bobrovsky, tied second and most saves in the first three games of the Stanley Cup final, has already tallied 116 saves to help the Panthers lift their legs in the series.
“For a moment at a time,” Bobrovsky said. “I don’t think about it much.”
The brick wall behind Florida’s back-to-back trip to the Stanley Cup final went 14-6 with a .916 save percentage and three shutouts during the playoffs this year.
His 11.4 goals surpass the ranks initially expected this postseason, according to MoneyPuck.com.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity,” he said.
The Panthers know who will lead them out of the tunnel for Game 4, but the Oilers decide to decide that they will move forward in terms of their goaltending situation.
After giving up five goals on 23 shots in Game 3, Stuart Skinner was replaced by Calvin Picard in the net for Edmonton early in the third term. With peace of mind, Picard, who made these playoffs 6-0 after taking over his first job, surrendered one goal against eight shots.
In the first three games of the Stanley Cup final, Skinner owns a .866 save percentage.
So who will start with Game 4?
“We haven’t decided,” Oilers head coach Chris Noblauch said Tuesday.
stay tuned.
