Panthers are one win away from the Stanley Cup: Notes and takeaways after Game 3 of the Finals

The scene changed for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, but the end result was the same as Games 1 and 2, as the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night and are one win away from the franchise’s first championship.

After Florida opened the scoring first, Edmonton tied the score at 1, followed by three straight goals from the Panthers. The Oilers came closer to the goal with five minutes remaining, but thanks to effective defensive play and saves from Sergei Bobrovsky, the hosts could not equalize.

Here are our grades for both teams, along with the biggest takeaways, key players to watch for Game 4, and the big questions left unanswered ahead of Saturday night’s potential Cup final matchup (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+).

Panthers grade: A-

Florida almost let Game 4 slip away.

The Panthers let Edmonton chip away at their 4-1 lead in the third period until it was an almost uncomfortable one-goal victory – protected mostly by Bobrovsky’s save on Ryan McLeod in the final minutes of a third hectic period.

But that final score is all that matters; Florida is one win away from the franchise’s first championship.

It wouldn’t be without a fantastic performance (again) from Bobrovsky, an all-around effort from the entire Florida roster and a penalty that continued to keep the Oilers’ vaunted power play at bay. Even though Edmonton clawed its way back, it never looked like the Panthers were panicking. There’s something about this team that allows players to stay calm even when circumstances start to look dire. It’s a superpower that Florida will attempt to wield again when it attempts to lift the Cup with a victory in Game 4.

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Tanker grade: C-

Even with their late third period surge, all the questions surrounding the Oilers’ struggles against the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final were answered in Game 3.

Scratch that. All the questions surrounding the Oilers’ struggles in the Stanley Cup Final were answered in the second period of game 3.

Even with a large number of shots on goal, they could not generate the shooting quality that put Bobrovsky under constant threat. They kept getting beat up, which led to breakdown after breakdown. This led to the Panthers scoring as many goals in the second period as the Oilers had scored in the first eight periods of this series. The third-period rally made things exciting, but ultimately proved fruitless.

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What we learned in Game 3

Aleksander Barkov is on another level

The Edmonton Stars are not on the scoresheet in this series. Florida hasn’t had that problem, especially when it comes to Barkov. The Panthers captain was not only the best forward on his team, but also the best skater in Game 3.

His efforts to get the puck out along the wall led to Sam Reinhart’s first goal. And Barkov’s individual effort to score late in the second period and seal the victory – largely by completely deflating the Oilers’ comeback chances – was sensational. Barkov’s health had been in question after Leon Draisaitl’s hit in Game 2, but there was no doubt that Barkov was feeling great given the performance he had on Thursday.

Florida could also help Sergei Bobrovsky

The Panthers have done so much in this series. Their penalty kill is elite – it can’t be higher, 100%. Their entire lineup contributes with impressive full-screen depth. Their commitment to team defense continues to be a catalyst for their success. And Bobrovsky played without lights in front of the net as Florida held off Edmonton’s best shooters (his save on Draisaitl in the first period was particularly striking).

However, the Panthers were outplayed in Game 3 for the first time in this Cup final, and Bobrovsky had to do more work than in previous victories – and this one reached into hard-fought territory given the way the Panthers Oilers pushed back in the third. Florida managed just one shot on goal in the first half of the final period when they were already on the wrong side of the ledger, 29-18.

The Panthers were able to suppress the Oilers’ chances against Bobrovsky in Games 1 and 2, and that’s what they need to demonstrate again in Game 4 if they want to complete the sweep.

Oilers get secondary score

It all started with Warren Foegele. It continued with Philip Broberg and again with Ryan McLeod scoring a goal with 5:17 left in the third period.

One of the biggest questions facing the Oilers heading into the Stanley Cup Final was whether they could get a consistent number of secondary points. So far they have. The Oilers’ first five goals of the series all came from secondary and tertiary sources, allowing them to take Game 3 from what was once a three-goal gap to a game that came dangerously close to overtime .

But even with these goals from Broberg, Foegele and McLeod, it raises a complex discussion about the Oilers: Even if it shows that the Oilers can indeed score goals from other sources, is it a viable strategy in an era where Evan Bouchard, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn’t score in this Cup final?

Bad things keep happening in threes for the Oilers

This happened in the first round, when the Los Angeles Kings scored three goals in the first period of the second game. The same thing happened when the Vancouver Canucks scored three goals in the third period of the first game of a second-round series. Then there are the three goals scored by the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

So what the Panthers did by scoring three unanswered goals in the second period, while shocking, was far from a surprise considering it’s happened, well, three times before in the playoffs.

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Players to watch in Game 4

Gustav Forsling, D, Panthers

The focus in this series has been squarely on the forwards and goalkeepers. Forsling deserves the spotlight thrown his way – and they will only shine brighter in Game 4.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice called Forsling the best defender in the world “in his style,” and that point is always hard to argue with when you see what Forsling has been able to do. He had Edmonton’s number in this series, thanks to how quickly he can read the game and make an impact.

When Forsling is on the ice, he poses a significant threat in all three zones, and it’s obvious that the rest of Florida’s defensive effort runs through him. When the Panthers try to win Game 4, it will likely be largely thanks to Forsling and how he is able to set the tone and consistently be one of the best defenders on the ice.

Connor McDavid, C, Oilers

Although McDavid has yet to score in the series, his two assists in the third period were crucial in keeping the game close. No player makes a team. Or in the case of the Oilers, no two generational centers make a team.

That said, the fact that the Oilers struggled to score two goals in the third period – none of them scored by Bouchard, Draisaitl, Hyman, McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins – shows that the Oilers can get the contribution of their support, but that they also need the goals of their stars.

It has to start with the superstar wearing a “C” on his sweater.

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Big Questions for Game 4

Is Florida ready to call it a day?

The last victory is the hardest to achieve for a reason. It will take everything Florida has on the ice to sweep the Oilers out of a Cup final in their building.

There are a multitude of factors that can influence how a team approaches a game when the stakes are this high and Florida lacks experience. Yes, the Panthers have closed out several series over the past two years, but never one in which the names are etched into hockey history at the end. Reaching this point requires more than just total buy-in. It’s about overcoming adversity every shift and dealing with emergency in a way Florida has never experienced before.

Are the Panthers ready to deliver the final blow?

Could this third period be the start of something for the Oilers? Or was this the beginning of the end?

Scoring two goals in that third period, on a night where they had scored three goals in total, was huge after scoring a combined goal in the first two games. Scoring three goals in this one could be a sign that they may have found an answer in the offensive zone.

But could this be enough? Even with the three goals they scored in Game 3, the Oilers still allowed four, which also has this special meaning: the Oilers allowed 14 goals in six games against the Stars in the Western Conference final ; they allowed 11 goals to the Panthers in three Stanley Cup Final games. They’ll need to improve on both ends to get a win, let alone make it a series.