What’s Going On In The Playoffs: Panthers dominate Oilers to take a 2-1 series lead

The Florida Panthers need just two more wins to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

This is What’s Going On In The Playoffs, where we look at how the post-season is shaping up. It all comes down to this, as the Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers battle for the second straight season.

Let’s take a look at how the first three games went.

Game 1

It took Leon Draisaitl just one minute and six seconds into Game 1 to score his first career Stanley Cup Final goal. The score stood that way for nearly 10 minutes before former Flame Sam Bennett bumped into Stuart Skinner and deflected the puck into the back of the net.

The Oilers challenged the play, and the goal was upheld, meaning the Panthers received a power play. On that power play, they took the lead thanks to a goal from Brad Marchand, heading into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead.

Just two minutes into the second, Bennett scored his second of the game and his 12th of the post-season, sneaking in on the weak side and beating Skinner on the breakaway. Up 3-1, it looked as if the Panthers were going to come away with the victory, but Viktor Arvidsson’s screened shot just a minute and 17 seconds later made it interesting.

The Oilers found the equalizer just six minutes and 33 seconds into the final frame, as Connor McDavid made a nice pass to Mattias Ekholm in the slot for the 3-3 tie. It stood this way after 60, meaning there was overtime. Last Stanley Cup Finals, there was no overtime in the seven-game series.

On a power play with just 30 seconds left, McDavid found Draisaitl all alone in front of the net, beating Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Oilers a 4-3 win and a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2

This time, it was the Panthers that opened the scoring as Bennett scored his 13th of the post-season just two minutes into the game. The Oilers answered back with two consecutive goals, one on a snipe from Evander Kane, and one where Evan Bouchard followed his rebound.

The Panthers got to within one midway through the first period thanks to Seth Jones’ fourth goal of the post-season, but the Oilers regained their lead thanks to Draisaitl’s 10th of the post-season, scored on the power play.

It was all the Panthers in the second period, as they fired 14 high-quality chances on Stuart Skinner. Only two goals went in: a Dmirty Kulikov shot from the point, as well as a Marchand breakaway goal.

With just 18 seconds remaining on the clock and in desperate need of a goal, a shot from Jake Walman found its way to Corey Perry, who sliced it over Bobrovsky’s glove to tie the game up and send it to overtime.

But Canada’s team found a way to win the game, as the Oilers gave up another breakaway to Marchand, who was able to get it between Skinner’s pad for the double overtime winner and the series split in Edmonton.

Game 3

Game 3 may well have sunk the Oilers’ chances for revenge. They once again allowed an early goal, as Skinner scrambled out of his crease, allowing Brad Marchand to bury it. After a whole bunch of penalties in the first, Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winning goal with just over two minutes left in the opening frame.

The only sign of life (in terms of hockey) the Oilers had was on an early power play in the second, as Perry scored his second of the Finals to cut the lead in half. Their momentum didn’t carry on long, as Sam Reinhart scored after John Klingberg ran into the referee, making it 3-1.

Bennett scored his 14th of the post-season about four and a half minutes later, as the Oilers gave up another breakaway – maybe stop doing that. The Panthers scored two more power play goals in the third period, a period in which the Oilers turned the game into a UFC pay-per-view.

In total, the Oilers finished with 85 penalty minutes to the Panthers’ 55. Eight different players (five Oilers, three Panthers) received 10-minute misconducts, and the Oilers gave the Panthers 11 power play opportunities. You can’t win when you do that.

Setting up the next batch of games

Simply put, Game 4 is a must-win for the Oilers. Losing that game means that the Panthers will have three chances at winning the Stanley Cup, and there probably won’t be a massive comeback for the Oilers this season.

If the Oilers are to win, which they hopefully don’t, they’ll get home ice back in the best-of-three. Game 4 starts at 6:00 p.m. MT on Thursday. Game 5 is back in Edmonton on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. MT.

And if it’s needed, a big if, Game 6 returns to Sunrise on Tuesday at the same time as the Oilers’ two games. Let’s hope the Panthers can get it done in five games.

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