The Florida Panthers have taken control of Game 3, with Sam Bennett scoring seven minutes into the second period to give his team a 4-1 lead.
Corey Perry got the Edmonton Oilers on the board with a power play goal early in the period, but the Panthers were quick to respond with Sam Reinhart getting a third goal past Stuart Skinner.
Game 2’s double overtime hero Brad Marchand scored less than a minute into the first frame to open the scoring for Florida, and Carter Verhaeghe added a second on the power play to go up by two late in a penalty-filled period.
The Panthers are playing on home ice at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., after the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton.
Seven penalties were called in the first 20 minutes Monday, and the Oilers went to the dressing room down 2-0 despite being ahead 12-10 on the shot clock.
The two teams have been evenly matched so far in the action-packed rematch series, with the Oilers taking Game 1 in a 4-3 overtime victory, and the Panthers taking Game 2 by a score of 5-4 in double overtime.
The Oilers had more shots after two games, 92 to 74, while the Panthers had led for over 67 minutes compared to trailing for nearly 28 minutes.The Oilers tended to start and finish strong, but lag in the second period in Games 1 and 2.
After a double-overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Friday night, fans were down, but certainly not out. Sarah Reid caught up with some Oilers faithful outside Rogers Place to share their predictions on Game 3.
The big guns have been turning up, with Oilers captain Connor McDavid leading all scorers with five points coming into Monday’s game, and Edmonton’s Leon Draisatl tied with Florida’s Sam Bennett and Marchand at three goals apiece.
Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was in the team’s starting lineup Monday, after missing Sunday’s practice with an undisclosed injury and being marked as a game-time decision.
For the Panthers, winger A.J. Greer has returned from injury in place of Jesper Boqvist after missing the first two games of the final.
