The Panthers scored five or more goals for the fourth straight game and six for the fifth time during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs en route to a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final. The reigning champions now sit one win away from a third straight appearance in Stanley Cup Final.
* Aleksander Barkov, Evan Rodrigues and Niko Mikkola were a handful of players to register multi-point outings during Florida’s offensive outburst in Game 3 and achieved notable in the process.
* A tied Western Conference Final heads to Edmonton as the Oilers and Stars each look for a 2-1 series lead when the puck drops for Game 3 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN+, Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports.
GOALS GALORE: PANTHERS MOVE WITHIN ONE WIN OF STANLEY CUP FINAL
The Panthers offense was on full display for the fourth straight game – and third straight to start the Eastern Conference Final – as the reigning champions found the back of the net six times and moved within one victory of returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive year.
* The Panthers have scored at least five goals in each of their past four outings dating to Game 7 of the Second Round against the Maple Leafs. Just three other teams in the past 30 years have posted a streak in the postseason of that length: 2024 Avalanche (5 GP), 2021 Avalanche (4 GP) and 1995 Red Wings (4 GP).
* Florida established a franchise record for goals in a period (5 in P3) and did so thanks to four in a span of 4:11. The reigning Stanley Cup champions recorded the 12th instance in NHL history of a team scoring four goals in that span or less and the fastest since the Kraken (3:55, Game 2 of 2023 R2).
THE STARS THAT SHONE FOR FLORIDA IN GAME 3
All nine players who found the score sheet for Florida in Game 3 recorded a point in its five-goal third period to help seal the win. Here are some of the notable accomplishments:
* Aleksander Barkov (2-1—3) became the first player in Panthers history with 20 career multi-point playoff games and the third with at least a trio of three-point outings, joining Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe (both w/ 4). Barkov’s third point of the night marked his third straight 15-point postseason, which tied Jari Kurri (3 from 1983 – 1985) for the longest run by a Finnish-born player.
* Brad Marchand collected his first point of the series with his 60th career playoff goal – 10 of which have come against the Hurricanes – and became the fourth active player to reach that mark, following Alex Ovechkin (77), Sidney Crosby (71) and Evgeni Malkin (67). He also joined that trio as the only active skaters to score 10-plus playoff goals against multiple franchises (also 13 vs. TOR); the Penguins duo have achieved the feat against three clubs, while the Capitals captain has done so against two.
* Evan Rodrigues (0-2—2) leads the Eastern Conference Final in scoring after boosting his series totals to 0-6—6 (3 GP). He became the sixth player in NHL history to register multiple assists in each of the first three games of a Conference Finals/Semifinals series 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 Game 3 and finished with the eventual game winner. He became the third defenseman in Panthers history to register a multi-goal playoff game, and in doing so became the fourth Florida blueliner with three goals this postseason (also: Nate Schmidt, Seth Jones & Aaron Ekblad; all w/ 3).
QUICK CLICKS
* #NHLStats: Live Updates for May 24, 2025
* Stars’ Finland contingent making impact in Stanley Cup Playoffs
* Sam Reinhart out for Panthers in Game 3 of East Final with lower-body injury
* Hurricanes must get back to their game in Eastern Final
* Frost wins triple OT thriller to take 2-1 lead in PWHL Finals
A TALE OF TWO GOALIES AS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SHIFTS TO EDMONTON
The Stars and Oilers are going head-to-head in the Western Conference Final for the second straight postseason and like a year ago, they head to Edmonton for Game 3 with the series tied 1-1. Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner, who have a lot in common including the same age and draft year, appeared in all six games of the 2024 series between these teams (EDM: 4-2 W) and look to be key figures once again this postseason.
* Oettinger and Skinner are both 26 years of age and were selected 52 picks apart in the 2017 NHL Draft, with Oettinger the only goaltender chosen in the first round that year (No. 26) and Skinner the fifth goaltender selected in his draft class (No. 78).
* Both goaltenders won championships prior to entering the NHL, with Skinner backstopping the Swift Current Broncos to a WHL championship in 2017-18 and Oettinger leading Boston University to a Hockey East title that same year.
* Oettinger (2020 as a rookie; 1 GP in Final) and Skinner (2024) have both lost in the Stanley Cup Final as they look to lead their teams to their first Stanley Cup since the 1990s (DAL in 1999 & EDM in 1990).
* Both goaltenders are chasing history. Oettinger’s next victory will move him into fourth on the NHL’s all-time playoffs win list among U.S.-born goaltenders, with Stanley Cup winners Tom Barrasso (61), Jonathan Quick (49) and Mike Richter (41) ahead of him on the list. He also ranks second in Stars history for postseason victories (32), behind only Hall of Famer Ed Belfour (44).
* Skinner’s next win will tie him with Andy Moog (23) for third on the Oilers’ all-time playoffs wins list behind only Grant Fuhr (74) and Bill Ranford (25). Skinner’s three shutouts this postseason are already tied with Curtis Joseph for the most in a single year in franchise history, and his next blank sheet will tie Joseph (5) for the most career shutouts in Oilers playoff history. After losing the starter’s role briefly following losses in his first two games this postseason, Skinner returned to that position in Game 3 of the Second Round and has since posted a 3-2 record with a 1.76 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and the three aforementioned shutouts which have all occurred across his last four starts.
