A contender for the Conn Smythe, that goal eventually went on to stand as Barkov’s fourth game-winner of this postseason.
“He’s so dominant on both sides of the puck,” Montour said of No. 16. “He makes it hard [on the other team]. As good as he is on offense, he shows up defensively and makes those big-time blocks. His stick’s so long that it’s tough to get around him. He’s a big, big, big, big part of what we’re doing here. I’m happy the whole hockey world can see that.”
All three of Florida’s second-period goals were scored within a span of 6:19.
“It was big for us,” Bennett said of the scoring spree. “Goals are tough to come by, especially in the Cup Final. It was a big period for us, but I think it just started with our defense. That’s how we were able to generate that offense.”
Not going down without a fight, the Oilers found some life in the third period.
After Philip Broberg fired a shot from the right circle that went off a defender and into the cage to cut Edmonton’s deficit to 4-2 at 6:02, McLeod tipped in a long shot from Brett Kulak to suddenly make it 4-3 at 14:43.
Nearly finding the game-tying goal in the final five minutes of regulation, McLeod was denied a surefire goal on a point-blank shot in the slot by a clutch save from Bobrovsky.
Finishing with 32 saves, that robbery was one of six high-danger stops for Bobrovsky.
“They’re a very skillful offensive team,” Bobrovsky said of the Oilers. “They’ve got smart guys and they’re going to make plays. You just focus on each and every moment. It’s a fun challenge to play against them because they bring the best and make smart plays.”
In their last-ditch effort to even the score, the Oilers pulled Skinner with roughly 1:27 left on the clock, but couldn’t manage to even register a shot on goal with their 6-on-5 advantage.
With Aaron Ekblad pinning the puck along the boards, the Panthers held on for the 4-3 win.
“The offense generated in the third period was more contextual,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “We got a big lead. The first one [for Edmonton] goes in off Niko (Mikkola), off the post, almost behind it, so kind of like a bad break. The next one’s a good tip, but it’s also not a three-pass play or nine-guys-at-the-net kind of play. The best chance that Edmonton had didn’t go in, and that’s Sergei Bobrovsky. You have that faith in the net.”
With three wins down and just one more to go, the Panthers remain focused.
When the puck drops in Game 4 on Saturday, the Stanley Cup will be in the building.
“It’s there for us, but you don’t think about it,” Barkov said. “You can’t think about it. All you have to do is just take it one moment at a time. We’re going to enjoy this win. We battled really hard today. We had a good win.”
THEY SAID IT
“I just think we play the right way. Through our experience the last two years, we’ve built a game that we’ve found to have success with.” – Brandon Montour
“We’ll keep staying with the moment. It’s a great win for us tonight. We’ll enjoy tonight and get ready for the next moment.” – Sergei Bobrovsky
“The job’s not finished.” – Sam Bennett
CATS STATS
- Vladimir Tarasenko recorded the fourth Stanley Cup Final goal of his career.
- The Panthers scored at least three goals for the seventh time this postseason.
- Gustav Forsling recorded his eighth assist of playoffs, matching Ed Jovanovski’s franchise record for most assists by a defenseman in a single postseason.
- Aleksander Barkov recorded his eighth multi-point game of this postseason.
- The Panthers are the 29th team in NHL history to lead 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final.
- The Panthers improved to 7-2 on the road this postseason.
- Florida surrendered just six shots on goal in the third period.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Panthers will grab their brooms and try to finish off a rare sweep in the Stanley Cup Final when they battle the Oilers in Game 4 at Rogers Place on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
If you’re back in South Florida, the watch party at Amerant Bank Arena is the place to be.
For more information, visit FloridaPanthers.com/PlayoffCentral.
