What Edmonton Oilers players said after fight-filled night in Florida
The Edmonton Oilers have not played a game as fiery as Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in quite some time.
It was a fight-filled affair with the Florida Panthers that was largely fuelled by frustration, as the Oilers dropped a 6-1 decision. They now find themselves down 2-1 in the series with Game 4 set for Thursday night.
If you were an Edmonton fan, it was not a fun game to watch, but for hockey fans, it was as good as it could get. Fighting in the playoffs is a rarity, but there were multiple instances on display in this tilt, with multiple players getting kicked out.
The rough stuff started to escalate in the final 10 minutes of regulation, when Oilers forward Trent Frederic broke his stick on Sam Bennett’s back, prompting a line brawl with every player on the ice.
IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME š pic.twitter.com/TTXWBUgMGN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 10, 2025
It wasn’t the result the Oilers wanted, but captain Connor McDavid liked the pushback from his club.
“I don’t mind the fight back,” McDavid told reporters. “I think that’s what good teams do… We feel like we can play any game.
“When we get into garbage time, those things happen, and I don’t mind when those things happen… Fight your way out of the rink.”
"Not our best at all. I don't think our best has shown up all series long, but it's coming. Shift the focus to find a way to get a win in Game 4."
Connor McDavid on the #Oilers results so far in the Stanley Cup Final.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/pWhe8UdmG3
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 10, 2025
Officially, it was just Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich who were penalized for fighting, but everybody on the ice was getting their pound of flesh. At the end of the night, however, the Oilers gave the Panthers a whopping 11 power plays on the night.
Evander Kane admitted that the Oilers beat themselves tonight, but it was frustrating when the officials seemed to let one team get away with things more than the other.
“The game got out of hand at the end, that’s gonna happen,” Kane said. “They seem to get away with it more than we do. It’s tough to find the line. They’re doing just as much as we are.
“There seems to be a little more attention on our group.”
"We didn't play very well, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. We can definitely be a lot better."
Evander Kane on the #Oilers 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 3.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/5PmECS351l
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 10, 2025
This was also a textbook example of how the Panthers like to play hockey. They get under the skin of opposing teams, piss them off, and then feast on a team that is reeling. That is exactly what happened in Florida on Monday night.
Stuart Skinner, who got pulled after allowing five goals on 23 shots, recognized this.
“Right away, I thought we ended up playing what Florida wanted,” Skinner said. “Lots of penalties. It was just penalty chaos tonight.”
"Right away I thought we ended up playing what Florida wanted. Little bit of a track meet, little bit of grinding, lots of penalties. It was just penalty chaos tonight."
Stuart Skinner on the #Oilers start to Game 3 vs. the Panthers. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/IeIibs5Mwm
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 10, 2025
Edmonton will have to put away the emotions of this physical tilt and focus on tying up the series. Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday night.