The Florida Panthers demonstrated their dominance in the Stanley Cup Final by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 3, taking a 2-1 series lead. This decisive victory was marked by intense physicality, with a total of 140 minutes in penalties assessed to both teams throughout the match.

The Oilers started on the wrong foot, accruing 85 penalty minutes and giving the Panthers an overwhelming 11 power play opportunities. However, despite having numerous chances, the Panthers capitalized on only three of those power plays. The Oilers, in contrast, converted one of their six power play opportunities, struggling to find momentum against Florida's strong offensive plays.

Game 3 kicked off with an early goal from Brad Marchand, who scored just 56 seconds in after seizing a loose puck. Marchand's quick strike gave the Panthers an immediate boost and set the tone for the game's intensity. The Panthers continued to press their advantage, and on their fourth power play opportunity in the first period, Carter Verhaeghe extended the lead to 2-0 with a shot from the faceoff dot that beat Oilers' goalie Stuart Skinner on the blocker side.

In the second period, Corey Perry finally got the Oilers on the scoreboard with a power play goal, reducing the deficit to 2-1. Evan Bouchard facilitated the play with a slick pass from the blue line to Perry, who spun and fired the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky. However, just 90 seconds later, the Panthers retaliated when Sam Reinhart scored, regaining a two-goal cushion. The play developed after Aleksander Barkov created a turnover, allowing Reinhart to receive a pass from Verhaeghe and wrist the puck into the net.

The Panthers’ momentum continued as Sam Bennett scored on a breakaway, executing a brilliant move to beat Skinner and extend Florida's lead to 4-1. This goal further pressured the Oilers, who struggled to regroup after missing opportunities to capitalize on power plays. Midway through the second period, Oilers' superstar Connor McDavid left the ice after taking a hard hit but thankfully returned shortly afterward, much to the relief of his teammates and fans.

As the third period commenced, the Panthers continued to assert their dominance. Aaron Ekblad added to the scoreline, making it 5-1 with a goal resulting from a clever behind-the-back pass from Reinhart. This goal prompted Oilers’ coach to replace Skinner with Calvin Pickard, marking Pickard's return to action after an injury sustained in Round 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

As the game approached its conclusion, the Panthers capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play, with Evan Rodrigues scoring the final goal of the game at 6-1. Rodrigues launched a powerful shot past Pickard, sealing the decisive victory for Florida.

With this win, the Panthers now lead the series 2-1, and the stakes will rise even higher as both teams prepare for Game 4, scheduled to take place in Florida at 6 p.m. Mountain Time on Thursday. The Oilers will need to find a way to bounce back after this result, while the Panthers aim to leverage their current momentum to push closer to the Stanley Cup championship.