The Florida Panthers will take to home ice against the Edmonton Oilers tonight as the Stanley Cup final goes south for Game 3, with the series tied 1-1.
Coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
The two teams have been evenly matched so far in the action-packed cup rematch, 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 have more shots after two games, 92 to 74, while the Panthers have led for over 67 minutes compared to trailing for nearly 28 minutes.The Oilers have tended to start and finish strong, but lag in the second period.
The big guns have been turning up, with Oilers captain Connor McDavid leading all scorers with five points, and Edmonton’s Leon Draisatl tied with Florida’s Sam Bennett and Brand Marchand at three goals apiece.
Game 2 got off to a chaotic start Friday, with five goals scored and 11 penalties called in the first 20 minutes. Oilers winger Corey Perry scored with just 17 seconds left in regulation time to send the game to OT, only for Marchand to find the back of the net at 8:04 in the second OT.
What do Oilers fans expect from Game 3?
The Oilers could be down a star forward for Game 3, after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missed Sunday’s practice with an undisclosed injury. That could sting the team, which is already playing without winger Zach Hyman, who was injured in the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars.
Veteran winger Jeff Skinner looks set to return if Nugent-Hopkins, who has five goals and 13 assists in 18 games in these playoffs, is unable to go.
For the Panthers, winger A.J. Greer will return from injury in place of Jesper Boqvist after missing the first two games of the final.
