Aaron Ekblad: Florida Panthers Back in Fort Lauderdale, Prep for Game 3 of Cup Final v Oilers

Aaron Ekblad: Florida Panthers Back in Fort Lauderdale, Prep for Game 3 of Cup Final v Oilers

[Music] yeah it feels great obviously our fans buzz at home and we love that it’s really exciting uh to play in front of them so we’re going to be giddy to get going looking obviously building ever since he got here but how big has he been in these first two games from the minutes he’s Yeah he’s unbelievable uh you see it every night he contributes offensively defensively he’s uh he’s a big body with great reach and does a lot of things extremely well just how big is this this extra day between games obviously with the travel just getting your body yesterday to recover uh yeah I think it’s necessary for both teams i think it’s uh a necessary evil of a 6-h hour flight and 2-hour time change so have to have it how would you describe the physicality of this series so far uh I think both teams are uh finishing every check and that’s all you can ask for in a final series there was some play McDavid made on the power play there what’s the biggest challenge when he’s got the puck in that kind of situation uh he’s got multiple options um so that’s the biggest challenge right you’re trying to block a shot you’re trying to block a low pass a back door pass and uh uh a walk-on water tow drag so uh yeah Nick Jesus for you your perspective as a defendant what makes Pennis so good in front of the net like he just seems like to know exactly what to do in that situation yeah I mean there’s a lot of times there’s nothing you can do if he gets pushed right it’s just like uh just like Cory Perry he’s he’s uh extremely good at uh getting there and being between uh the Dman and the goalie so there’s not much you can do right so if you get pushed you get pushed it’s it is what it is so um those guys have a knack for it and there’s a couple guys in every team that can do it and they’re some of the best in the league at it what goes through your mind when you take that puck off your head in overtime you’re far away kind of from the bench like take us through your process there uh yeah I mean it’s just a block routine block shot right um stick your hand out for it and and uh try and get it knocked down and get off the ice as quickly as possible because you know there’s when you get that stinger you can’t really grip for a second but all good now feel great how did Oh sorry how did the poker game go in the flight home uh roller coaster ride roller coaster ride yeah yeah up and down who was the big winner uh I think it was Marshy again which is crazy but yeah yeah I think it might have been him the way that both games how important was it to be able to get the split coming one position yeah obviously want to get both games uh two extremely difficult games well into overtime but at the end of the day um a split is uh is what you want on the road so happy game uh that’s all kinds of things that’ll be kept internal

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad meets the media on his team’s practice day before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at the Fort Lauderdale IcePlex on Sunday, June 8, 2025.

Brad Marchand scored twice — once on a shorthanded goal in the second, then the game-winner at 8:05 of 2OT — to help lead the Panthers to a 5-4 win in Game 2 on Friday.

Florida, which is in the Cup Final for the third straight year, are 9-3 in road playoff games this season.

The defending champs tied the series at 1.

Game 3 of the Cup Final is Monday in Sunrise at 8 (TNT).

The Panthers Are Back in the Cup Final: https://floridahockeynow.com/florida-panthers-5-carolina-hurricanes-3-game-5-ecf-may-28-2025-back-to-stanley-cup-final/

How Brad Marchand Joined the Florida Panthers: https://floridahockeynow.com/brad-marchand-joins-florida-panthers-how-it-happened-nhl-trade-bruins/

2024 Stanley Cup Champions Honored at the White House: https://floridahockeynow.com/stanley-cup-champion-florida-panthers-honored-at-white-house/

Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning Bringing Hockey Outdoors – In Florida: https://floridahockeynow.com/nhl-outdoor-hockey-miami-tampa-florida-panthers-lightning/

The Florida Panthers Get Their Rings. They’re Spectacular: https://floridahockeynow.com/florida-panthers-get-stanley-cup-championship-rings-theyre-spectacular/

The Florida Panthers Are Stanley Cup Champions: https://floridahockeynow.com/can-you-believe-it-florida-panthers-are-stanley-cup-champs/

Friday, the Panthers led 1-0 on Sam Bennett’s 12th road goal — and NHL record — of the playoffs.

Edmonton led 2-1 when Seth Jones scored; in the second, Florida trailed 3-2 before Dmitry Kulikov tied it. Marchand gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead with his first shorty in the Finals since beating Roberto Luongo in 2011.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 42 saves for the second straight game.

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Video Courtesy Florida Panthers / Panthers Vision