After Two Overtime Thrillers, Oilers Collapse in Game 3 as Panthers Dominate in a Wild, Penalty-Marred 6-1 Rout

After two gripping, back-and-forth showdowns that each spilled into overtime, the 2024 Stanley Cup Final took a sharp and unexpected turn in Game 3. The Edmonton Oilers, playing their first home game of the series in a packed Rogers Place arena brimming with anticipation and hope, fell flat in stunning fashion. In a game that quickly devolved into chaos, the Florida Panthers overwhelmed the Oilers by a score of 6-1, taking a commanding 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. It was a stark departure from the razor-thin margins of the first two games and left Oilers fans and players alike searching for answers after a performance marred by penalties, defensive breakdowns, and visible frustration.

The Panthers set the tone early, delivering punishing hits and keeping the Oilers hemmed in their own zone through the opening minutes. Edmonton’s usual rhythm and speed in transition was disrupted almost immediately, and a tripping penalty to Cody Ceci just four minutes in proved costly. Florida capitalized on the man advantage with a power-play goal by Sam Reinhart, who banged in a rebound from the slot after Sergei Bobrovsky denied Evan Rodrigues on the initial shot. That early goal not only quieted the Edmonton crowd but also lit a fire under a Florida team that seemed to grow more aggressive and confident with each shift.

The first period snowballed from there. Two more minor penalties on the Oilers—one a delay of game, another for slashing—piled on the pressure. Florida cashed in again, this time with Matthew Tkachuk feeding Carter Verhaeghe for a one-timer that beat Stuart Skinner cleanly on the glove side. By the end of the opening frame, Edmonton had committed four minor penalties and spent nearly half the period on the penalty kill. It was clear the Panthers had tapped into something primal—an edge that turned physical play into dominance.

The second period offered little reprieve for Edmonton. Whatever adjustments head coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff tried to implement were undone by mental lapses and continued discipline issues. Florida’s relentless forecheck forced turnovers deep in the Oilers’ zone, and one such miscue led directly to their third goal—this time from Anton Lundell, who picked off a clearing attempt and roofed a wrister past Skinner to make it 3-0. Moments later, frustration boiled over for Edmonton. Darnell Nurse engaged in a scrap with Ryan Lomberg after a high hit near the benches, drawing matching majors but also another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the process. The Panthers were awarded yet another power play, and though they didn’t score this time, the sequence kept the Oilers from ever finding momentum or flow.

It wasn’t until midway through the second period that the Oilers finally showed signs of life. Connor McDavid, bottled up effectively in Games 1 and 2, broke through the neutral zone on a dazzling solo rush, drawing a holding penalty on Aaron Ekblad. With their first power play of the game, the Oilers finally broke the ice—Leon Draisaitl blasted a one-timer off a McDavid feed past Bobrovsky to cut the deficit to 3-1. The roar from the Rogers Place faithful was as much a catharsis as a celebration, but that hope proved fleeting.

Less than a minute after the Oilers scored, disaster struck again. A neutral zone turnover on the very next shift gave Florida a 2-on-1 break, and Vladimir Tarasenko didn’t miss. His goal—Florida’s fourth—killed the buzz in the building and restored a sense of control for the Panthers that they would not relinquish the rest of the night. Edmonton looked demoralized, and the penalties kept coming. Zach Hyman took a double minor for high sticking, and while Florida didn’t score on the extended power play, they used the time to suffocate Edmonton’s comeback hopes with puck control and punishing hits.

By the time the third period began, the game had lost any semblance of competitive tension. The Panthers, brimming with confidence and now completely in control, added two more goals—one from Gustav Forsling and another from Reinhart, his second of the game. Both came off turnovers and defensive collapses that symbolized everything wrong with the Oilers’ night. Skinner was mercifully pulled after the fifth goal, replaced by backup Calvin Pickard, but by then the outcome had long been decided.

The final ten minutes of the game were filled with frustration, scuffles, and jeers from the home crowd. Several skirmishes broke out along the boards, and both benches were warned after tempers flared during a prolonged scrum near the Oilers’ net. While no major altercations broke out, the mounting penalties—12 total for the Oilers and 10 for the Panthers—underscored the emotional fraying that took place on both sides. But Florida, unlike Edmonton, channeled that fire into focused, structured play.

The Panthers’ physicality was not just about finishing checks or stirring the pot—it was tactical. They consistently disrupted the Oilers’ breakout attempts, forced pucks into the corners, and clogged the middle of the ice, preventing McDavid and Draisaitl from generating their trademark speed through the neutral zone. It was a blueprint that worked to perfection in Game 3, and one the Oilers must find a way to crack before Game 4.

Postgame, Oilers captain Connor McDavid didn’t mince words. “We weren’t good enough tonight. That’s not who we are, and we know it,” he said, his voice tinged with frustration but also resolve. “We’ve got to clean it up—discipline, structure, everything. This series is far from over.” Coach Knoblauch echoed the sentiment, pointing out the lopsided penalty differential and the psychological toll it took. “You can’t spend that much time in the box and expect to win at this level,” he said. “We need composure. That wasn’t our identity tonight.”

On the flip side, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice was visibly pleased with his team’s performance but remained grounded. “We did what we needed to do. The job’s not done,” he said. “That’s a tough team over there, and they’re going to respond. We have to be ready for their best.”

And that is the crux of the story heading into Game 4. The Oilers, now facing their first series deficit since the second round, must regroup quickly. Their stars, particularly McDavid and Draisaitl, will need to find ways to assert themselves under increasingly tight checking. Their penalty kill units, gassed and exposed in Game 3, need relief from the constant parade to the box. And most importantly, they need to rediscover the intensity and composure that defined their journey to the Final.

For Florida, the task is more straightforward but no less challenging: maintain the edge without crossing into recklessness. If they can replicate the discipline and physical dominance of Game 3 without feeding Edmonton’s power play too often, they’ll put themselves in prime position to close out the series.

Game 4 will be pivotal—not just in the scoreboard sense, but in the emotional narrative of the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers were embarrassed on home ice, and how they respond could define their legacy. For the Panthers, the opportunity is right in front of them: a chance to seize full control of the series and edge closer to the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup.

In a series that began with two breathtaking overtimes, no one expected the kind of blowout that Game 3 turned out to be. But in the chaos of the 6-1 rout, the stakes have only intensified. The Panthers landed a knockout punch on Thursday night. Now we wait to see if the Oilers can get up off the mat.