3 Keys: Panthers at Oilers, Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final

(1A) Panthers at (2P) Oilers

Stanley Cup Final, Game 4

8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN+, ABC

Florida leads best-of-7 series 3-0

EDMONTON -- The Stanley Cup will be in the building, and the Florida Panthers can win it for the first time in their history with a victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Cup Final at Rogers Place on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

The Panthers, who have won the first three games of the series by a combined score of 11-4, can complete the first sweep in a Cup Final since the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Washington Capitals in four straight in 1998.

Florida's approach has gotten the Panthers to this point, and they feel there's no reason to change now.

“Just try to play the same way we've been playing,” Florida center Anton Lundell said. “We know how to play, and it's all about going out and just try to have fun and enjoy the moment as well, but know that it's going to be a hard game. They're going to give everything they have, and we need to be able to give everything we have and it's going to be a great game.”

The Oilers hope to extend the series, following a comeback attempt that fell short in a 4-3 loss in Game 3 on Thursday, when they scored twice in the third period but failed in a bid for the equalizer.

“They’re optimistic, focused, energized, excited for the challenge and it’s going to be a challenge," Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. "But if there’s a team that can do it, if there’s a group of men I want to do this with, it’s the guys in that room.

"From what I’ve seen through the season, how resilient they are, perseverance, their focus, their attitude, I’m really excited for the next 10 days.”

Since 2015, teams with an opportunity to clinch the Cup on the road are 6-1, including 5-0 from 2016-20.

Here are 3 keys for Game 4:

1. Contain top Oilers

The Panthers have done a great job of this thus far, be it on the penalty kill, where they’re 10-for-10, or during 5-on-5 play. Centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and forward Zach Hyman each has been held without a goal in the first three games. A difficult task shutting those guys down? Absolutely, but Florida will push to do it one more time.

“As many offensive guys we have on the team, we’re a defense-first team and that’s against whoever is on the ice,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “I just think it’s a big thing for our team to do it collectively and as five guys, especially when you have talented guys out there. So, just have to do it again.”

2. Get to Bobrovsky

The Oilers definitely were more successful in this area in Game 3, when they scored three goals against the Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky after only getting one past him in the first two games. They know they have to continue to get in his way to keep this series going.

“I think you look at the first couple of games, when he sees the puck, he’s probably going to stop it," Edmonton forward Corey Perry said, "and he has been stopping it and he’s made some great saves. As that third period wore on (in Game 3), we got to the front of the net, we found some puck luck, not enough but I think it’s a start. That’s what we have to build on.”

3. Stay cool

The Panthers are on the verge of history and emotions are going to be running high. But they’ve also gone 6-2 in elimination games over the past two years. So can they wrap things up Saturday? As long as they don’t try to do too much too soon, they believe they can.

“Two things that come to mind -- how we looked in the two games we didn’t win," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "There’s a bit of a theme in those games and that’s that idea, you want something so badly, that you try to do something to make it happen before it should happen. Just don’t try to break the game open.

“And the other (thing) is, I would say this would be true, even of Game 3, we’ve played the best hockey of the year in third periods under pressure. That’s when we’ve been at our best, and we’ll try to tap into that tonight.”

Panthers projected lineup

Evan Rodrigues -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe -- Sam Bennett -- Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen -- Anton Lundell -- Vladimir Tarasenko

Steven Lorentz -- Kevin Stenlund -- Kyle Okposo

Gustav Forsling -- Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola -- Brandon Montour

Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Dmitry Kulikov

Sergei Bobrovsky

Anthony Stolarz

Scratched: Ryan Lomberg, Nick Cousins, Tobias Bjornfot, Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura, Jonah Gadjovich

Injured: None

Oilers projected lineup

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman

Ryan McLeod -- Leon Draisaitl -- Corey Perry

Mattias Janmark -- Adam Henrique -- Connor Brown

Warren Foegele -- Derek Ryan -- Dylan Holloway

Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard

Darnell Nurse -- Philip Broberg

Brett Kulak -- Cody Ceci

Stuart Skinner

Calvin Pickard

Scratched: Vincent Desharnais, Sam Gagner, Sam Carrick

Injured: Evander Kane (sports hernia), Troy Stecher (ankle)

Status report

Knoblauch said “I’m going to have to make you wait” when asked about potential lineup changes, but Kane, a forward, is expected to miss his second consecutive game. ... No changes are expected for the Panthers lineup.