Site Map3 Things to Watch in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final
The Panthers head to Edmonton for a crucial game in this series, notably for the Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are trailing 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. Conversely, the Florida Panthers are on the brink of winning their first title in franchise history. So it goes in a series that has thus far been one-sided.
If you are reading this, the chances are you are following this series closely. So, with Game Three on the horizon, let’s look at some things to keep an eye on that you might not have thought of.
1) The Oilers Defense Pair Combinations
Head coach Kris Knoblauch has shuffled the pairings before. Most recently, he left Cody Ceci out of the lineup as a healthy scratch and he can move skaters around to allow this team to limit the Panthers offense, which has seven goals through two games played.
With the backs to the wall, Knoblauch will look to make more changes to the defense. The pairing to watch is the Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm one since it’s been the most successful but splitting them will even out the defense for Game Three.
2) McDavid’s Ability to go End-to-End
Connor McDavid leads all skaters in points in the playoffs with five goals and 27 assists. He’s been held to only one assist in this series so far and has been all but shut down. The credit goes to Aleksander Barkov for limiting him as he’s centered the Panthers’ top line and limited McDavid from finding many opportunities.
This is a game where he’ll try to make some plays with his speed and more importantly, beat the Panthers in open ice. He’ll handle the puck more and search for those opportunities and the key is whether the Panthers can stop him or not.
3) Does Tkachuk Wake Up
Matthew Tkachuk is the sleeping giant on the Panthers. He’s been a force in all three zones in the playoffs but has yet to make his mark in the offensive zone in this series. It’s only a matter of time before that happens.
If Tkachuk makes up and starts generating offense then watch out. The Panthers are in control of this series without their best player making a big impact and if he does, this series can end quickly.
