The Florida Panthers are now just two wins away from successfully repeating as NHL Stanley Cup champions. On Monday, Brad Marchand and company rocked the Edmonton Oilers at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, crushing the visitors in a 6-1 victory and getting a 2-1 series lead.
Marchand played a significant role in Florida's Game 3 victory, as he set the tone early for his team. The veteran forward found the back of the net just 56 seconds into the first period. But it took more than just Marchand for the Panthers to unleash such a pummeling on the Oilers.
Among those who bullied Edmonton in the game was center Sam Bennett, who now has four goals in the series. He extended the Panthers' lead to 4-1 with a goal in the second period on a breakaway goal that was manufactured by what transpired on the other end of the ice.
Bennett staggered forward Vasily Podkolzin and defenseman John Klingberg with back-to-back hard hits before receiving the puck and slipping one past Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner.
After the game, Marchand shared a fitting quote to sum up the kind of night that Bennett had.
Article Continues Below“He’s been an animal the whole playoffs,” Marchand said (h/t The Athletic).
After Bennett's goal, the Panthers scored two more to further bury the Oilers, who seemingly did not know what hit them. The first two games of the series needed overtimes to finish, but Game 3 was a one-sided affair that reminded everyone of the might of the defending league champions, who steamrolled past the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs, outlasted the Toronto Maple Leafsi n the second round and crumpled the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Oilers outshot Florida (33-31) and had more hits (34-26) in Game 3, but could not take advantage of several opportunities, thanks in large part to the presence of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner turned away 32 shots while helping his team limit the Oilers to just a goal on six power-play chances.
Bennett and Marchand, who are tied for the goal lead among Florida players in the Oiler series with four apiece, will look to keep it going into Game 4 at home on Thursday.