The first two games of this year’s Stanley Cup Final rematch certainly lived up to the hype.
The Edmonton Oilers fought back from down 3-1 in Game 1 before opening the series with an overtime victory. Despite the home side coming up with a last-minute goal to force another overtime, the Florida Panthers responded with a double overtime win in Game 2 to tie the series at 1-1.
The Stanley Cup Final will now shift to Florida for Games 3 and 4. The Panthers are looking to put a stranglehold on the series and the Oilers need a win to regain home-ice advantage.

Oilers vs. Panthers Game 3 Information

  • Date: Monday, June 9, 2025
  • Start Time: 6:00 PM MT
  • Location: Sunrise, Florida
  • Venue: Amerant Bank Arena
  • Watch: CBC/SN (Canada), TNT (USA), Fubo (Stream)

Projected Line Combinations

  • OilersRyan Nugent-Hopkins is a game-time decision, according to head coach Kris Knoblauch. The versatile forward missed Edmonton’s practice in Florida on Sunday, but took the ice for the team’s optional skate on Monday ahead of Game 3. Jeff Skinner skated alongside Connor McDavid and Corey Perry on the top line when the Oilers practiced and will likely draw into the lineup for his first-ever Stanley Cup Final game if Nugent-Hopkins isn’t available. The Oilers also appear to be going into Game 3 with a new-look blueline. Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard were together on the top pairing at practice, Brett Kulak was with Jake Walman, who flipped to the right side, and Mattias Ekholm skated with John Klingberg.
  • PanthersForward A.J. Greer will return to the lineup for Florida in Game 3 after missing the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final. The gritty winger will be taking Jesper Boqvist’s spot on the fourth line alongside Jonah Gadjovich and Tomas Nosek. During the playoffs, the Panthers have outscored opponents 4-to-0 at even-strength with Greer, Gadjovich, and Nosek on the ice, so the fourth line might see more action now that the series has moved to Florida. Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand have combined for six of the eight goals the Panthers have scored through two games, while top-line forwards Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov have been held off the scoresheet. Carter Verhaeghe will remain with Reinhart and Barkov after moving to the top line ahead of Game 2.

Projected Starting Goaltenders

  • OilersStuart Skinner allowed five goals on 42 shots in Edmonton’s double overtime loss in Game 2. Though his .881 doesn’t look good on paper, Skinner was rock-solid for the Oilers after a chaotic start to the game, coming up with some huge stops in the third period and overtime. Skinner also appeared to be injured in the first period by Florida forward Sam Bennett, who knocked Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender and former teammate Anthony Stolarz out of the playoffs with an elbow in the second round. After falling awkwardly to the ice, Skinner played the entirety of the game, along with both overtime periods.
  • PanthersSergei Bobrovsky stopped 42 of 46 shots in both Games 1 and 2 in Edmonton last week. He took the loss in the first game when Leon Draisaitl buried a pass from Connor McDavid in overtime, but got the win in the second game thanks to a double overtime winner from Brad Marchand. Bobrovsky has a .913 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Final and a .912 save percentage over the entirety of the playoffs. He’s also played every minute of the playoffs thus far for the Panthers.

Thoughts and Notes Going into Game 3

  • The Oilers haven’t lost back-to-back games since their first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings had home-ice advantage and got out to a 2-0 lead, but the Oilers stormed back with four consecutive wins to finish L.A. off in Game 6 at home. Edmonton then beat both the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in five games. They responded to a last-second loss to the Golden Knights in Game 3 with a 3-0 victory in Game 4. After losing Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, the Oilers came back in Game 2 with a 3-0 win.
  • Being able to bounce back after losses has been key to the Oilers’ success in the playoffs this year. It’s something that the team has learned through their experience in the playoffs, having gone through a wide variety of ups and downs over the years. “That’s kind of what the playoffs are all about, the highs and lows of it,” defenceman Evan Bouchard said. “You can’t let yourself get too high, you can’t let yourself get too low. Having that experience last year when we were down 3-0 in the Final, we didn’t let it get to us. We stayed even keel and fought our way back, and it’s going to be important for us to keep working at it moving forward.”
  • The Panthers went 27-12-2 during the regular season and they’re 4-3 at Amerant Bank Arena in the playoffs. The style of Florida’s game that the Oilers can expect in Games 3 and 4 on the road is much like what they saw in the first half of Game 2 on Friday. “Our fans buzz at home, and we love that,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. The Panthers will bring a physical and chippy edge, trying to get the Oilers to respond after whistles, and their fans will be egging all of it on. The key for Edmonton will be staying away from that rat-like play the Panthers know so well. They need to wear Florida down and get as much time in the offensive zone as possible to steal a win on the road.

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