Stanley Cup Final: Panthers hold off comeback Oilers to take 3-0 series lead

The Florida Panthers are one win away from their first Stanley Cup title, but the Edmonton Oilers can at least say they at least made this loss too close for comfort.

In the space of just over six minutes, the Panthers scored three consecutive goals to turn a tied game into a laugher in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. However, that laughter came back into play in the final minutes when the Oilers scored twice to cut the deficit to one.

That was all they got, and the Panthers finished the game with a 4-3 victory and a 3-0 series lead.

Only four teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit in an NHL series, the most recent being the 2013-14 Los Angeles Kings. It only happened once in the Stanley Cup Final, when the Toronto Maple Leafs stunned the Detroit Wings in 1942.

Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday at 8pm ET in Edmonton (ABC). A win in Florida would mean the first Stanley Cup Final victory since 1998 (Detroit Red Wings over Washington Capitals).

The Panthers drew first blood in the first period when a scrum led to minor roughing penalties and a 4-on-4 in which Sam Reinhart scored with assists from Gustav Forsling and Aleksander Barkov. The Oilers tied it early in the second with a breakaway goal by Warren Foegelebut that would be the end of optimism in Edmonton.

First, Eetu Luostarinen intercepted a lazy puck from Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner and caught it out of position with a pass to Vladimir Tarasenko, who took advantage of the open net.

The Oilers’ defense began to decline from there, and the Panthers punished them for it. Next came Sam Bennett getting behind the Edmonton defense for a goal, then Barkov won 2 against 1:

The Oilers got two back from Philip Broberg and Ryan McLeod, but needed one more to avoid an even bigger comeback in the series.

Until several minutes into the third period, the Oilers’ stellar offense was completely shut down by the Panthers’ best defense in the NHL, even though they recorded more shots, shots on goal and power plays. His defensive mistakes were largely academic because almost nothing got past Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who is still Conn Smythe’s favorite.

None of the Oilers’ top five regular-season scorers – Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – have even scored a goal in this series.

Reducing the deficit to a goal may be encouraging, but the Oilers now face dire odds. They’re not alone in this this week.

ABC facing double-sweep nightmare in NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final

The Oilers suffered mightily on Thursday, but the other loser of the night was ABC and its parent company, Disney.

The network is currently airing the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final, which are on the verge of a non-competitive sweep. The Boston Celtics lead the Dallas Mavericks 3-0 after taking a big lead and delaying a comeback in Game 3 (sound familiar?), with a chance to close it out in Game 4 on Friday.

Kendall Baker of Yahoo Sports notes that both series have ended in sweeps only twice in history: 1983 (Philadelphia 76ers over Los Angeles Lakers, New York Islanders over Oilers) and 1995 (Houston Rockets over Orlando Magic, New Jersey Devils over Red Wings).

2024 Stanley Cup Final Schedule (Panthers leading series 1-0)

Game 1: Panthers 3, Oilers 0
Game 2: Panthers 4, Oilers 1
Game 3: Panthers 4, Oilers 3
Game 4: Panthers at Oilers | Saturday, June 15, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
*Game 5: Lubricators in Panteras | Tuesday, June 18, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
*Game 6: Panthers at Oilers | Friday, June 21, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
*Game 7: Lubricators in Panteras | Monday, June 24, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)

(*if necessary)