The NHL is to blame for a disgusting Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals

[Spyro Gyra]

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals was such a dirty, sloppy mess to the extent that it stopped being fun to watch. A total of 140 penalty minutes and one ejection were handed out as the Oilers failed spectacularly to beat Florida at their own game, with the tactic backfiring, as it has for so many teams before. The Panthers won mentally, which in turn caused the Oilers to destroy themselves en route to a 6-1 beatdown in Sunrise.

==snip==

Sure, on some level you can blame this on Edmonton. After all, they were the team trying to assert themselves so the series wouldn’t slip through their fingers as it did in 2024 — but Game 3 was a symptom of a disease the NHL has been incubating for years in Florida. It’s routine that teams are given more leniency in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, because nobody wants to see ticky-tack penalties influence critical games, but the Paul Maurice Panthers have turned relaxed officiating into their identity, routinely seeing how dirty they can play and walking that tightrope better than their opponents can.

==snip==

It feels like a foregone conclusion that Florida will win this series. They deserve to, because they’ve found a cheat code to win cups.

THE REST OF THIS PATHETIC WORD SALAD

Wow, I don't even know where to start. First, it's called playoff hockey. Obviously, this guy doesn't have a clue what that means. Teams have played and won exactly like Florida is forever. In '19, many called the Blues style dirty. This is nothing new, can't believe the guy is even writing this. Second, can't believe is used the word "cheat" in his story. Go watch ballet if hockey is too hard for you to understand.

[dhsux]

Make a case the game was not called even but to make a case one team pushed the envelop while the other team watched is to blame the nfl?

[MiamiLaw]

What a ridiculous article. Modern people are so soft. You want to know how I know my team has a shot at a Cup? The hockey world is calling them "dirty".

What did the Panthers do last night that was "cheating" is this guy's loose context?

[Harry York 37]

If Perry was still on the Fourth Line, the dirt pile would have been more level. He is wearing his "Top Six" skates right now .

We did see blood from the two craziest combatants.

I guess we were "Entertained".
Very slightly.
There was nothing remotely heroic about the battles we watched.

[DawgDad]

A case in point is Bennett falling into Skinner in Game 2 (if memory serves that was in game 2). He pushed the envelope and he got penalized. The Oilers had the discipline there to not retaliate and offset the penalty. Last night was another matter, they let Florida get under their skin instead of playing hockey, and the Panthers were firing on all cylinders on the PP.

If the Oilers want to win they have to take shots and maintain their discipline. As Gretzky said after the game, they must initiate not retaliate. They need to play physical but they need to do it and stay out of the box. That means don't retaliate when the other guy hits you, take the hit if it's clean or take the PP if it is not. Check the Panthers hard aggressively but cut out the chippy stuff. When there's a scrum they need to control their emotions. It's business, not personal.

[somni]

A case in point is Bennett falling into Skinner in Game 2 (if memory serves that was in game 2). He pushed the envelope and he got penalized. The Oilers had the discipline there to not retaliate and offset the penalty. Last night was another matter, they let Florida get under their skin instead of playing hockey, and the Panthers were firing on all cylinders on the PP.

If the Oilers want to win they have to take shots and maintain their discipline. As Gretzky said after the game, they must initiate not retaliate. They need to play physical but they need to do it and stay out of the box. That means don't retaliate when the other guy hits you, take the hit if it's clean or take the PP if it is not. Check the Panthers hard aggressively but cut out the chippy stuff. When there's a scrum they need to control their emotions. It's business, not personal.

Agree. To me, when Kane got that first penalty for cross-checking, which I thought was weak, then the precedent was set. Instead of then playing a discipline game, the Oilers got more and more frustrated and the Panthers played right into it (even exaggerating to get the call).

The Panthers experience showed bigtime. The Oilers for whatever reason just flew off the handle. Maybe the Oilers got it out of their system and will play a strong discipline game in game 4. But man, they sure looked like the new kids gets out there.

[BluesDom]

Nobody is to blame for anything. It was a hockey game. Florida was great. Let's see what the oilers due next.

[Pierre McGuire]

What a ridiculous article. Modern people are so soft. You want to know how I know my team has a shot at a Cup? The hockey world is calling them "dirty".

Yep….that is 100% the correct answer.

[Smith2Herr]

Florida’s the problem?! It was Edmonton that completely lost its [shirt] last night, witness the disgraceful behavior of Jake Walman. But must admit that I did enjoy watching Gadjovich work out on Nurse’s head.

[Aesa]

Florida’s the problem?! It was Edmonton that completely lost its [shirt] last night, witness the disgraceful behavior of Jake Walman. But must admit that I did enjoy watching Gadjovich work out on Nurse’s head.

Indeed. That was entertaining.

[General Schwartz]

What happened to the hockey fan base? What a bunch of babies. This is how hockey was for decades.

[stlblue06]

Florida’s the problem?! It was Edmonton that completely lost its [shirt] last night, witness the disgraceful behavior of Jake Walman. But must admit that I did enjoy watching Gadjovich work out on Nurse’s head.

Nothing wrong with it getting chippy and the players are too soft these days for there to be an extra high risk of injury. That Walman (bleep) was embarrassing. Punching a defenseless guy that is in a headlock then the water bottle!

It was pretty funny when Boucher was banging on the glass telling Walman to stop like he was some kid.

[2forDiving]

What a ridiculous article. Modern people are so soft. You want to know how I know my team has a shot at a Cup? The hockey world is calling them "dirty".

Yep….that is 100% the correct answer.

It’s SB Nation, anything they have to say about hockey should be taken with a grain of salt. I can’t purport to be a big SB Nation fan, but what I have read makes me believe they would prefer an Ice Capades version of hockey.

[Spyro Gyra]

What a ridiculous article. Modern people are so soft. You want to know how I know my team has a shot at a Cup? The hockey world is calling them "dirty".

Yep….that is 100% the correct answer.

It’s SB Nation, anything they have to say about hockey should be taken with a grain of salt. I can’t purport to be a big SB Nation fan, but what I have read makes me believe they would prefer an Ice Capades version of hockey.

I'd bet the author of this story isn't old enough to remember the Broad Street Bullies! The Florida Panthers look like choir boys compared to those Flyers teams.

[wiscrev]

What happened to the hockey fan base? What a bunch of babies. This is how hockey was for decades.

It's what you get when your fanbase changes from "blue shirt" hard workers to "big biz" jocks. IMHO

[wiscrev]

What a ridiculous article. Modern people are so soft. You want to know how I know my team has a shot at a Cup? The hockey world is calling them "dirty".

Yep….that is 100% the correct answer.

It’s SB Nation, anything they have to say about hockey should be taken with a grain of salt. I can’t purport to be a big SB Nation fan, but what I have read makes me believe they would prefer an Ice Capades version of hockey.

I'd bet the author of this story isn't old enough to remember the Broad Street Bullies! The Florida Panthers look like choir boys compared to those Flyers teams.

I don't know how I could guess this but I think the OP is and Oiler fan.