Without being flippant, you could say that the Edmonton Oilers were drilled in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final on Monday night. More politely, though, they were run right over.
Oh sure, the Oilers tried to muddy the game up in what turned into an old-school type of third period, but at that point, that was all Edmonton had left because, frankly, their combative response late in the game showed some life, but not much else.
What was in clear view on Monday was how the defending Stanley Cup champions initiated all night, as the Florida Panthers didn’t enter the game looking to pussyfoot around, they strolled into the arena like a tomcat to an alley fight.
In other words, Florida came into Game 3 — their first home game of the series — not looking to just take part, but seizing the moment to take over.
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And there was no more telling a moment of that than on the Panthers’ fourth goal – a series definer, perhaps — when Sam Bennett shoulder-dropped Vasily Podkolzin just inside the Panthers’ blue line, finishing his check and ultimately forcing the stunned Podkolzin into a turnover later in the shift the other way.
The result?
A breakaway goal for Bennett — his playoff-leading 14th — and a 4-1 lead for the Panthers, which proved to everyone that Florida had reached another level in the series.
What will now be interesting to watch on Thursday is how each team will respond to the one-sided affair, because for Edmonton to send the series back to Alberta tied at two, they’ll need to be better in Game 4. Much better!
Otherwise, they’ll face elimination heading home and one would expect Florida to execute the same game plan, hoping to once again, without being flippant, not only drill the Oilers into the ice but run right over them again, too.
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