The Panthers scored 5 or extra targets for the fourth straight sport and 6 for the fifth time in the course of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs en path to a 3-0 collection lead within the Japanese Convention Last. The reigning champions now sit one win away from a 3rd straight look in Stanley Cup Last.
* Aleksander Barkov, Evan Rodrigues and Niko Mikkola had been a handful of gamers to register multi-point outings throughout Florida’s offensive outburst in Sport 3 and achieved notable within the course of.
* A tied Western Convention Last heads to Edmonton because the Oilers and Stars every search for a 2-1 collection lead when the puck drops for Sport 3 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN+, Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports activities.
GOALS GALORE: PANTHERS MOVE WITHIN ONE WIN OF STANLEY CUP FINAL
The Panthers offense was on full show for the fourth straight sport – and third straight to begin the Japanese Convention Last – because the reigning champions discovered the again of the web six instances and moved inside one victory of returning to the Stanley Cup Last for the third consecutive yr.
* The Panthers have scored no less than 5 targets in every of their previous 4 outings relationship to Sport 7 of the Second Spherical in opposition to the Maple Leafs. Simply three different groups previously 30 years have posted a streak within the postseason of that size: 2024 Avalanche (5 GP), 2021 Avalanche (4 GP) and 1995 Purple Wings (4 GP).
* Florida established a franchise record for goals in a period (5 in P3) and did so because of 4 in a span of 4:11. The reigning Stanley Cup champions recorded the 12th instance in NHL history of a crew scoring 4 targets in that span or much less and the quickest for the reason that Kraken (3:55, Game 2 of 2023 R2).
THE STARS THAT SHONE FOR FLORIDA IN GAME 3
All 9 gamers who discovered the rating sheet for Florida in Sport 3 recorded a degree in its five-goal third interval to assist seal the win. Listed below are a number of the notable accomplishments:
* Aleksander Barkov (2-1—3) grew to become the primary participant in Panthers historical past with 20 career multi-point playoff games and the third with no less than a trio of three-point outings, becoming a member of Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe (each w/ 4). Barkov’s third level of the night time marked his third straight 15-point postseason, which tied Jari Kurri (3 from 1983 – 1985) for the longest run by a Finnish-born participant.
* Brad Marchand collected his first level of the collection together with his sixtieth profession playoff objective – 10 of which have come in opposition to the Hurricanes – and have become the fourth lively participant to succeed in that mark, following Alex Ovechkin (77), Sidney Crosby (71) and Evgeni Malkin (67). He additionally joined that trio as the one lively skaters to attain 10-plus playoff targets in opposition to a number of franchises (additionally 13 vs. TOR); the Penguins duo have achieved the feat in opposition to three golf equipment, whereas the Capitals captain has executed so in opposition to two.
* Evan Rodrigues (0-2—2) leads the Japanese Convention Last in scoring after boosting his collection totals to 0-6—6 (3 GP). He grew to become the sixth participant in NHL historical past to register a number of assists in every of the primary three video games of a Convention Finals/Semifinals collection alongside Wayne Gretzky (4 GP in 1983), Elmer Lach (4 GP in 1946), Al MacInnis (3 GP in 1986), Toe Blake (3 GP in 1946) and Flash Hollett (3 GP in 1943).
* Niko Mikkola (2-0—2) opened the scoring in Sport 3 and completed with the eventual sport winner. He grew to become the third defenseman in Panthers history to register a multi-goal playoff sport, and in doing so grew to become the fourth Florida blueliner with three targets this postseason (additionally: Nate Schmidt, Seth Jones & Aaron Ekblad; all w/ 3).
QUICK CLICKS
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A TALE OF TWO GOALIES AS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SHIFTS TO EDMONTON
The Stars and Oilers are going head-to-head within the Western Convention Last for the second straight postseason and like a year ago, they head to Edmonton for Sport 3 with the collection tied 1-1. Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner, who’ve loads in widespread together with the identical age and draft yr, appeared in all six video games of the 2024 collection between these groups (EDM: 4-2 W) and look to be key figures as soon as once more this postseason.
* Oettinger and Skinner are each 26 years of age and had been chosen 52 picks apart in the 2017 NHL Draft, with Oettinger the one goaltender chosen within the first spherical that yr (No. 26) and Skinner the fifth goaltender chosen in his draft class (No. 78).
* Each goaltenders gained championships previous to getting into the NHL, with Skinner backstopping the Swift Present Broncos to a WHL championship in 2017-18 and Oettinger main Boston College to a Hockey East title that very same yr.
* Oettinger (2020 as a rookie; 1 GP in Last) and Skinner (2024) have each misplaced within the Stanley Cup Last as they appear to guide their groups to their first Stanley Cup for the reason that Nineteen Nineties (DAL in 1999 & EDM in 1990).
* Each goaltenders are chasing historical past. Oettinger’s subsequent victory will transfer him into fourth on the NHL’s all-time playoffs win listing among U.S.-born goaltenders, with Stanley Cup winners Tom Barrasso (61), Jonathan Fast (49) and Mike Richter (41) forward of him on the listing. He additionally ranks second in Stars history for postseason victories (32), behind solely Corridor of Famer Ed Belfour (44).
* Skinner’s subsequent win will tie him with Andy Moog (23) for third on the Oilers’ all-time playoffs wins list behind solely Grant Fuhr (74) and Invoice Ranford (25). Skinner’s three shutouts this postseason are already tied with Curtis Joseph for essentially the most in a single year in franchise historical past, and his subsequent clean sheet will tie Joseph (5) for the most career shutouts in Oilers playoff historical past. After dropping the starter’s position briefly following losses in his first two video games this postseason, Skinner returned to that place in Sport 3 of the Second Spherical and has since posted a 3-2 file with a 1.76 goals-against common, .927 save share and the three aforementioned shutouts which have all occurred throughout his final 4 begins.
