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Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final had to be the worst possible time for the Edmonton Oilers to play their worst game in weeks. The Oilers had been rolling since dropping the first two games of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. However, in one of their most crucial games of the year, they failed to show up and lost 6-1 to the Florida Panthers.
There is no shame in losing to the Panthers. They are a well-oiled machine in the middle of their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final. However, the Oilers' effort was embarrassing after splitting the first two home games.
It isn't a good sign for the Oilers that they looked outmatched in Game 3. It took comebacks in both of the first two games to get the game to overtime, and they managed to win one of those two games. However, they could easily find themselves staring at a 3-0 deficit in this series, just as they did last year, if the bounces had gone the Panthers' way in Game 1.
Last season, it was Connor McDavid who put the team on his back and dragged them to Game 7. They are already ahead of last year's pace by winning at least one of the first three games, but their mindset entering Game 4 might be just as bad as it was last year after Monday night's result.
The old Stuart Skinner returns for Oilers
Stuart Skinner has been lights out for the Oilers since drawing back in the lineup after Calvin Pickard's injury. Skinner lost his starting job after Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, and Pickard rallied off six consecutive victories. Skinner returned in Game 3 of the second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights and went on his own little run, which included shutouts in three of his six wins to get Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Final.
Oilers fans jumped back on the Skinner bandwagon, but they'd be lying if they said it wasn't in the back of their minds that the old form could return. He allowed three goals on 32 shots in Game 1, but it was forgotten because Edmonton managed to steal the game. Then, he allowed five goals on 42 shots in the double-overtime loss in Game 2, and allowed another five on 23 shots in Game 3.
Skinner has allowed 13 goals in the first three games, which is three more than he allowed in the entire Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. It's the unfortunate truth of playing the goaltending position, but within two weeks, Skinner has gone from hero to zero in Edmonton.
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The good news for Skinner is that there is still plenty of time to turn it around. All will be forgotten if he finds a way to steal a game on the road in Game 4 and make the final a best-of-three. However, if he stumbles again, Pickard could regain his net in hopes of putting together another winning streak.
Oilers must stop stooping to Panthers' level
The Panthers love dragging their opponents into a fight. They did it against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, and then took it to another level in Round 2 when the Toronto Maple Leafs took a 2-0 series lead. They start playing physical and borderline dirty, which takes their opponents off their game and seemingly adds fuel to Florida's fire.
Florida was lifeless at times in Game 1, but they found that drive in Game 2 and started dragging Oilers into the fight. Edmonton has an experienced group, but they also have some players who make it easy to get under their skin. Players like Trent Frederic, Corey Perry, and Evander Kane don't have an off switch when a game gets rough, and the Panthers are making them pay for it.
The mindset is starting to seep its way down the lineup, as Game 3 featured some poor body language from the usually calm players, such as Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman. It was clear from watching that the Panthers are firmly under the Oilers' skin, and if past experiences are any indication, that is bad news for Edmonton.
The Oilers finished the game with 85 penalty minutes, which gave the Panthers 11 powerplays. Florida converted three times on those chances, including the two goals in the third period, which put the game out of reach. Frederic, Kane, Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, and Kasperi Kapanen all finished with double-digit penalty minutes. The third period was a non-stop tantrum from the Oilers' roster, and the Panthers laughed all the way to the locker room with a 2-1 series lead.
