Panthers dominate the Oilers and secure their 2-1 series lead in the SCF!

Lyanna Yeow
Jun 9, 2025
4 min read

Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers (GAME 3)

The Florida Panthers won Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on June 9, 2025. This matchup took place at Amerant Bank Arena and ended with a final score of 6-1 in the Panthers’ favor. Read about what led to the Panthers’ win, the standout players of each team, stats, and when their next game is scheduled!

Game Recap

Amerant Bank Arena erupted when the momentum from #63 Brad Marchand’s Game 2 double overtime GWG helped him to score fifty-six seconds into Game 3 of this series (1-0). Although both teams had multiple man-advantages and great scoring chances, the remarkable efforts of the penalty kill units and goaltenders, #74 Stuart Skinner (Oilers) #72 Sergei Bobrovsky (Panthers) kept it a 1-0 game. The score remained at a standstill until the final three minutes of the period. #23 Carter Verhaeghe extended the Panthers’ lead and made it a 2-0 game going into the second period after his shot banked off the post and into the back of the net. Down by two-goals, the Oilers saw a glimpse of hope when they were given a power play opportunity due to some extracurricular activity which occurred after the first period buzzer sounded off.

The Oilers started the second period strong and made it a one-goal game with an early power play goal scored by #90 Corey Perry (2-1). Unfortunately for the Oilers, the Panthers’ momentum was not hindered as they scored two unanswered goals and made it a 4-1 game in the beginning half of the second period. The Panthers’ scoring momentum kicked off a minute and twenty second after the Oilers’ first goal of the gamewhen #13 Sam Reinhart’s shortsided goal slipped past #74 Skinner (3-1). The Panthers added more salt to the wound when #9 Sam Bennett maintained control of the puck and scored 2-on-0 after a messy turnover by the Oilers (4-1). Although both teams had great chances to score, the latter half of the period remained stagnant until the Panthers found themselves with the man-advantage going into the last period of regulation.

The Panthers struggled against the Oilers’ penalty kill during their remaining minute and sixteen seconds power play opportunity at the start of the third period. Despite struggling earlier on the man-advantage, the Panthers regrouped with a power play goal scored by #5 Aaron Ekblad after #74 Skinner flipped the puck over the glass three minutes into the period (5-1). Oilers’ #30 Calvin Pickard made his return in between the pipes for the first time since sustaining an injury during the Oilers’ second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights when #74 Skinner was pulled four minutes into the third period. Tempers flared throughout the remainder of the game which resulted in pile-ups, scrums, and multiple game misconducts being handed out. During one of the Panthers’ 5-on-3 opportunities, #17 Evan Rodrigues scored a shortsided power play goal on #30 Pickard which extended their lead, 6-1. The stellar goaltending performance by #72 Bobrovsky and solid effort by the Panthers’ penalty kill unit greatly benefited in securing their Game 3 win and 2-1 series lead.

The standout players

Florida Panthers

Forward: #13 Sam Reinhart (1G, 1A), #17 Evan Rodrigues (1G, 1A), and #23 Carter Verhaeghe (1G, 1A) all ended the game with two points recorded
Defensemen: #5 Aaron Ekblad scored one of the five Panthers goals
Goaltender: #72 Sergei Bobrovsky had a save percentage of 0.970% after he saved 32 out of 33 shots on goal

Edmonton Oilers

Forward: #90 Corey Perry scored the only Oilers goal of this game
Defensemen: Both #2 Evan Bouchard and #14 Mattias Ekholm ended the game with 1A
Goaltender: #74 Stuart Skinner initially started in net for the Oilers and had a save percentage of 0.783% after he saved 18 out of 23 shots on goal before #30 Calvin Pickard took over during the third period. #30 Pickard ended the game with a 0.875 SV% after he saved 7 out of 8 shots on goal in sixteen minutes and thirty-three seconds played.

Stats

The Oilers outshot the Panthers (33 SOG vs. 31 SOG)
The Oilers delivered more hits than the Panthers (34 hits vs. 26 hits)
The Oilers won more faceoffs than the Panthers (51.6% vs. 48.4%)
The Panthers had a higher power play success rate than the Oilers (27.3 PP% vs. 16.7 PP%)

SUMMARY: Although the Oilers maintained puck possession and played with more physicality, the Panthers’ overall ability to take advantage of their goal scoring chances/man-advantages, their impressive goaltending performance, and solid penalty kill unit greatly benefited them in taking Game 3

Upcoming Games

GAME 4