The Florida Panthers blew out the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final. But it was how the game ended that will have people talking.
The Panthers and Oilers had a line brawl with 9:31 remaining in the third period after a number of little things, including several big hits from Sam Bennett and Viktor Arvidsson running Sergei Bobrovsky, turned the game into a toughness contest.
After Trent Frederic cross-checked Sam Bennett, every skater picked a partner and either started throwing hands or aggressively wrestling their opponent. Jonah Gadjovich and Darnell Nurse was the main event, exchanging punches for nearly 90 seconds.
“I think Benny or somebody was just eating cross-checks in the back or slashes or something and [Gadjovich] comes in there and the rest of the guys came in there to help,” Matthew Tkachuk said on TNT post-game. “He got what seemed like a five minute UFC fight with Nurse there. Yeah, he just seemed to be having the best time doing it. Landed some good ones. I don’t know. That’s part of his game but I mean that’s his first fight in playoffs and he’s done so many incredible things for our team.”
Six different players received misconducts during the line brawl including Bennett, Frederic, Gadjovich, Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, and AJ Greer. The two teams combined for 80 PIMs during the fracas (Oilers, 41; Panthers, 39).
By night’s end, 10 more penalties were doled out as both teams combined for 140 PIMs total. Edmonton’s 85 penalty minutes were the most by a single team in a Stanley Cup Final game since 1986 between Montreal and Calgary.
“In the third, it is what it is,” Tkachuk said. “We talk about being composed. If you’ve got to take a punch to the face, a slash to the face, a cross-check, a slash to the leg, whatever the case is, you’ve got to do it. There’s a bigger picture with the win here for us. We just wanted to protect ourselves, protect our teammates when needed. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to be smart in a game like this and I thought our team did that. We protected ourselves really well.”
“I think that’s just competitiveness out of their group,” Brad Marchand added. “When you get to this point, everyone’s so intense, so competitive. And that’s how games go when the score runs up a little bit. They are fun games to be a part of and fans obviously enjoyed it.”
The Oilers never seemed comfortable during the game — their first of the series on the road. Brad Marchand scored 56 seconds into the contest, finding a loose puck in the slot and beating an out-of-position Stuart Skinner.
Edmonton responded by taking four minor penalties in the first period — three of which came in the offensive zone. Carter Verhaeghe would score on one of those man advantages to put the Panthers up two before the end of the stanza.
Corey Perry answered 1:40 into the second period with a power-play goal of his own, but Florida scored five unanswered goals to win the game 6-1.
“I don’t think we lost our composure until the very end there,” Connor McDavid said per Sportsnet. “Trying to show a little fight back. I don’t mind the fight back. I think that’s what good teams do. Obviously not thrilled with the first period, giving up eight minutes in penalties. Power play’s not able to get one. Their power play gets one and you’re in a hole right away in a tough building against a really good team. You can’t chase games.”
The biggest highlight-reel play of the night came from Bennett, who scored on a breakaway after landing two big hits.
“He was leading the way of course,” Tkachuk said. “He’s been great. He plays between the whistles hard, scoring big goals, laying big hits. I thought that goal was a perfect Benny goal.”
Other antics throughout the night included Jake Walman spraying the Panthers bench with Gatorade and Gadjovich making funny faces at the Oilers.
“Obviously it wasn’t our best,” McDavid said. “Not our best at all. I don’t think our best has shown up all series long but it’s coming. Shift the focus to getting a win in Game 4.”
Puck drop will at 8 pm on Thursday.
