The Florida Panthers really brought their A-game in Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, smashing the Edmonton Oilers with a 6-1 win and taking a solid 2-1 lead in the series. The Panthers got off to a quick start, thanks to Brad Marchand’s amazing skills on the ice—just 56 seconds into the game—and they kept the momentum going. They managed to score three power-play goals and racked up 32 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Edmonton managed to score just one goal, thanks to veteran Corey Perry. Goalie Stuart Skinner had a tough night and was pulled after letting in five goals on 23 shots.
Calvin Pickard stepped in and made seven saves during the game. The Oilers ended up with 85 penalty minutes, which really played into Florida’s dominance. Following that tough loss, Coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned that there will be some changes to the lineup for Game 4. He’s looking to tweak the roster to boost the defensive play and give the team a fresh burst of energy.
It was pretty obvious when he said, “Oh definitely the third period is an unraveling. I don’t think we would have acted or played like that had the game been a one-goal or two-goal game. I don’t know, boys being boys I guess, just trying to make investments for the next game.” But recently on X, senior columnist Mark Spector confirmed, stating, “Knobauch says there WILL be a lineup change for Game 4. Likely Stecher in, Klingberg out.”
Knobauch says there WILL be a lineup change for Game 4.
Likely Stecher in, Klingberg out.
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) June 11, 2025
Troy Stecher’s quickness and solid puck movement, particularly when paired with Darnell Nurse, might do a better job of handling Florida’s forecheck. In past games, the Nurse–Stecher duo really showed some solid improvements in puck control and defense. So, what’s the deal with replacing John Klingberg on the ice? The veteran player had a minus-3 rating and was on the ice for several high-danger goals during Game 3, and it looks like he’s going to be a healthy scratch.
Klingberg’s turnover directly resulted in a goal for the Panthers, and his expected goals against are still pretty high—these are reasons why he was a top candidate to be benched. This blue-line swap shows how Knoblauch is adapting. Bringing Stecher in might really help with those defensive zone exits and make it easier to handle the Panthers’ pressure. Besides talking about the changes in the blue line of the Oilers, what does Knoblauch think about his goalie?
Oilers head coach keeping it calm
Even after the tough 6-1 loss in Game 3, Kris Knoblauch didn’t just point fingers at Stuart Skinner, even though the goalie let in five goals on 23 shots. He talked about the criticism aimed at the goaltender, saying, “Stu maybe wasn’t on his A-game, but our team wasn’t on their A-game in front of him. I don’t think there’s any bad goals, maybe an extra save. But it doesn’t matter how well Stu played last night, it wouldn’t have made any difference in the game, most likely. I’m not holding anything against Stu on that performance.”
The head coach pointed out that Skinner didn’t have his best game, but he also stressed that the whole team didn’t show up for him either. He made it clear that no goaltender, no matter how good they were, could have turned things around given the circumstances. Knoblauch made it clear that he’s not blaming Skinner for the game and is still considering him for future matches, mentioning that a decision on the starting lineup will be coming up soon.
No matter who takes the ice for the Oilers in Game 4, it’s going to be a big one for the franchise. They definitely want to avoid the pressure of needing to win Game 5 down the line.
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