The Florida Panthers have taken the series lead in the Stanley Cup final after a lopsided 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Monday.
Evan Rodrigues scored on a two-man power play advantage with 3:50 remaining in Game 3 to cap off the scoring in a third period marked by fights and game misconduct penalties.
The Edmonton Oilers pulled goalie Stuart Skinner early in the third period after Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad buried a power-play goal to give his team a 5-1 lead.
Things were going Florida’s way from the outset.
Game 2’s double overtime hero Brad Marchand scored less than a minute into the game 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.
Seven penalties were called in the first 20 minutes Monday, and the Oilers went to the dressing room down 2-0.
Corey Perry got Edmonton on the board with a power play goal early in the second period, but the Panthers were quick to respond with Sam Reinhart getting a third goal past Skinner.
Sam Bennett then notched his league-leading 14th goal of the playoffs, seven minutes into a rough-and-tumble second period to give his team a 4-1 lead as the Panthers took control of the game.
The Oilers had a scare midway through the second frame, as Connor McDavid went down the tunnel to the dressing room after taking a big hit, but the captain came back out moments later.
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.
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.
What do Oilers fans expect from 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 Draisaitl tied with Florida’s 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.
