PAUL MAURICE, Postgame: Florida Panthers Roll to Game 3 Win over Oilers in Cup Fina Game 3

PAUL MAURICE, Postgame: Florida Panthers Roll to Game 3 Win over Oilers in Cup Fina Game 3

the back roll jameson I was late how happy with how the team kind of navigated the ups and downs of this game seems like obviously kind of a roller coaster outside looking in but your guys kind of were a straight line the whole time a difficult game to assess because there just so much special teams um just the inflection points good to get one at home early get the crowd into the building that part was very important for us but the Sam Reinhardt goal is is the inflection point of the game so at 2-1 especially based on what both teams have kind of been through in the first two it’s there is no lead at that point and Sam’s goal was very important for us front right Paul and uh in Sam Bennett shifts where does that one rank in terms of the two huge hits uh and then and then the breakaway goal on the same thing to get the separation well it’s a it’s a I mean he’s capable of that and be a physical player uh incredible speed and then the hands to finish um it’s not as good as Sam Reinhardt’s goal last year but it’s pretty good front right coach third coach in NHL history to have a thousand wins regular season and postseason combined what does that say just about your overall journey i’m closer to the guy that was the hero of the game at the start than I was when I started I think see 101 i’m still sour about that they all look better than I do 101 years old you know I I I won’t think about it much now left side third row uh 11 power plays you guys got what were you doing right to get under the skin and and cause them to take so many pies i don’t know no idea i wear a suit no idea well most of those weren’t weren’t important right there at the last important ones with the nine minute mark of the third period they still I watched that Vancouver Dallas game where we scored three goals in a minute with 19 left so it’s there’s still a hockey game there uh at 9 at the 9minute mark it was at 9:31 I think we go on the power play so all the ones after that don’t matter left side fourth row uh Paul I wanted to get your thoughts on the play Anton Landel makes to set up Marshan to start the game and really just his relentlessness basic essentially in the first period and setting the tone that’s a Bill Zo one for sure i mean he uh before I came for first training camp he said “Wait do you see this kid he’s going to be he’s going to be great it’s going he just takes some patience to let him develop his game.” But the Anton Lundell is a Bill Zto draft and he was his champion for the last two and a half years and he was right paul the players we talked to in addressing room your players okay okay sorry they said that if the Oilers want to play this style of play especially that physicality we’re going to stick up for each other do you anticipate seeing more of this as this series continues i think you’re going to get that you’re going to get that answer from any team in the National Hockey League that’s playing in June or or or we’re not here they’re both teams there’s so much passion in the game and they will always but by the time you’ve gone on this journey and Edmonton and Florida are I believe the two teams that have been on the longest journey for the last three years we’ve both been through it right so both teams are going to stick up for each other they care about each other they they have a the core is pretty much the same for both teams the drivers of the team are the same for the last three years so they’ll always have each other’s back we’ll take three more questions front left uh you start power play too the in the in the first when you make it two nothing on the Verhi goal was that did you do that because of the matchups or just just to get something going no they’ve been they’ve been the ones generating it right there’s there’s it’s really important thing for the other the other unit not not they they want a name change they don’t want to be called two anymore so um it’s important for those guys to go out they’re going they’re faster right now and we got good players on there we got the playoff leading goal scorer on that unit why wouldn’t they start and then that that shot by Verhagi something we’ve seen a bundle of times but especially in the playoffs he just seems to every time he shoots that man is an enigma he uh but he scores goals exactly like that right he gets off his stick before it gets set coaching has nothing to do with that he’s he’s gifted two more right side third row uh Paul you touched on Reinhardt’s goal um I wonder if we the significance of the goal is obviously big in the game the play by Bararkov uh and the goal by Reinhardt those two guys coming up with those plays does that significant for what it meant for the team too and just you know within the series to get them going i’m going to say no just to because I got asked that question earlier and I was joking around about us trading Barkov like there isn’t the swing on these players if they play two games and they don’t score like if you take it from the other way and you factor well this guy’s a great goal scorer and if he doesn’t score that’s a really problem so then we’re saying they should have 82 in the regular season and we should be at 25 to 30 like it’s not real and the other part is I don’t see any of that because it’s down the left right you don’t see any of the the left side of the bench in the second period or the right side of the bench in the first and third so I don’t know what happened all I saw was puck come out into the middle and it’s in the back of the net and we moved on to the next line change so I missed all of it be good video last question left side second row uh Paul can you talk about the game Aaron Blad had tonight at two periods he had like five hits uh and just kind of how he’s progressed through this series i thought he was all energy in the first two games right he was covering a lot of ice and tonight I thought he was perfectly focused in the game so he was still doing it but defined in the areas when he was pinching um I thought he played a really smart veteran game he’s he’s a physical physical player i mean he can close the gap now and it’s all part of that kind of you think of Seth Jones and and Aaron Ecklad both of these guys came into the league as offensive players but there’s there’s quite a bit more to their game than that and Aeron’s that’s on full display now thank you for your time coach

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice meets the media after his team won Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final 6-1 over the visiting Edmonton Oilers in Sunrise on Monday, June 9, 2025.

Florida, which is in the Cup Final for the third straight year, hold a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4 of the Cup Final is Thursday 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/

Monday, Florida took a 1-0 lead on Brad Marchand’s goal 56 seconds in; Carter Verhaeghe made it 2-0 before the end of the period.

Up 2-1, the Panthers got goals from Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett in the second to open things up.

Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues scored in a third period that deteriorated quickly.

The two teams combined for 140 penalty minutes.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves for his second straight win.

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Video Courtesy Florida Panthers / Panthers Vision