Florida Panthers take 3-0 series lead in Stanley Cup Final
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final to take a 3-0 series lead on Thursday.
Heading into the second period, with the Panthers up 1-0, Oilers forward Warren Foegele found the back of the net to tie things up.
The Panthers then caught fire, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead into the final period.
Edmonton made things interesting in the third period, cutting the deficit to one following goals from Philip Broberg and Ryan McLeod. However, the Oilers comeback attempt fell just short.
The Panthers are now one win away from hoisting its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Florida forward Sam Bennett said after the game the prospect of winning the Stanley Cup is “exciting” but added that the series is not over.
“We got a job to do,” Bennett told the ABC broadcast. “We got to come prepared to play the exact same game.”
On the other hand, the Oilers will look to do what only one team in NHL history has ever done, come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup Final – the only team being the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs.
Three other teams have clawed back from the dreaded deficit in the NHL playoffs, the last one being the Los Angeles Kings in 2014.
Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday at the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada at 8 p.m. ET.