The Florida Panthers put the finishing touches on a dominating 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Monday evening and are now just two wins away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

The third period of the contest was filled with tension, as the tempers of Oilers players boiled over as part of the embarrassing setback and resulted in multiple fights.

It's not something the Panthers, who embrace physical play, can't handle. Assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk explained that he and his teammates had discussed the expected physicality, saying that if they had to take some punishment, it was simply something they'd have to deal with, via The Athletic.

“We talked about it in the third. If you have to take a punch, take a punch. If you have to take a cross-check, take a cross-check. Spear, slash in the face, whatever the case is, you've got to take it. We just played a really smart game.”

Forward Sam Bennett, who scored his 14th goal of the postseason during the win, later built off Tkachuk's comments and said that physicality from the opposition is sometimes to be expected.

“Sometimes you've got to take a punch,” Bennett said.

Overall, 122 penalty minutes were issued in the third period alone, and 75 of them were on the Oilers.

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The Panthers' depth overwhelmed the Oilers in Game 3

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) puts a rat on the stick after the third period against the Edmonton Oilers in game three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Not only did the Panthers dominate offensively, but they got goals from six different players as part of their convincing 6-1 victory. Even more impressive is that both Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk have yet to find the back of the net in the series for Florida.

It's a testament to the depth on the club that's enabled them to be within striking distance of the Stanley Cup yet again.

“Obviously we’re a very deep team,” said Brad Marchand, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins at the NHL Trade Deadline. “And not just deep offensively, but a lot of guys play a 200-foot game, and a lot of great leaders on this group as well. I think that’s one of our strengths is the depth of the group, from the front end to the back end to the goaltending, and it’s the way that they have orchestrated this group and the lineup to play a certain way.”

The Panthers and Oilers will battle in Game 4 on Thursday evening starting at 8:00 p.m. ET.