Stanley Cup Final Game 3 live blog: Panthers vs. Oilers 

EDMONTON -- Welcome to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Bill Price was there to provide all the sights, sounds and highlights from Rogers Place, as the Florida Panthers held on for a 4-3 win to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 series against the Edmonton Oilers.

10:57 p.m. ET

Well, that’s it. The Oilers battled back in the third period but couldn’t get the equalizer, dropping Game 3 4-3 and falling behind 3-0 in the best-of-7 Cup Final.

In Game 4 on Saturday, the Panthers can finish the first sweep in the Cup Final since the Detroit Red Wings did it to the Washington Capitals in 1998.

The place was rocking until the very end, and you can believe they will be in full throat for Game 4, not wanting to see Florida hoist the Cup on their home ice.

I will be back as well. Thanks for following along, and we’ll see you Saturday.

10:50 p.m. ET

Hold the phone on that Panthers celebration.

Ryan McLeod scored with 5:17 left, and now it's a 4-3 game and this place is absolutely rocking.

The goal came on the 34th shot of the night for the Oilers, and what looked like might be a laugher for the Panthers has turned into nail-biting time.

Connor McDavid got his second assist of the game on McLeod's goal, and the Oilers have scored three times and are looking for more.

The Oilers had a great chance to tie the game with four minutes left, but the puck was cleared away.

Buckle up for what should be a wild final few minutes of regulation.

10:40 p.m. ET

The constant “Let’s Go Oilers” chants are back with Philip Broberg’s goal that made it a 4-2 game waking this place up.

It’s desperation time, and the fans and Oilers know it. Falling behind 3-0 in a best-of-7 series is not a recipe for success.

Only one team has won the Cup Final after falling behind 3-0, and that was the 1942 Maple Leafs.

The last team do rally from down 3-0 in a best-of-7 was the 2014 Los Angeles Kings, who did it in the first round against the San Jose Sharks and went on to win the Cup.

So it can be done, but the way Florida has played throughout this postseason, I don’t see it happening.

But we are not there yet. There is still 11 minutes left here and it’s a 4-2 game.

10:34 p.m. ET

The Oilers have some life with defenseman Philip Broberg beating Sergei Bobrovsky over the shoulder with 13:58 left in the third. And suddenly Rogers Place is alive again.

A video clip of “Happy Gilmore” got the crowd going, and then the Billy Idol guy just got the crowd going with a version of “Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper.

The goal comes on the Oilers’ 32nd shot of the game, and just like that it’s a two-goal game. If the Oilers can get one more in the next 10-11 minutes, it would make for a thrilling finish.

Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse get the assists on the goal, maybe that will get McDavid going.

Just in case you are scoring at home, the three Oilers goals in this series have come for Mattias Ekholm, Warren Foegele and Philip Broberg. Incredible.

Now we’ll see if the Panthers can keep their composure and keep the Oilers down.

They just played a cover of the Cranberries' “Zombie” by a bad called Bad Wolves. Why not just play the original?

10:26 p.m. ET

The Oilers come up empty on the power play, and though fans are trying to get a “Let’s Go Oilers” chant started, it seems like reality is sinking in a bit that the Panthers are just this good.

When they shut down Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final, a lot of heat was put on the Rangers trio. But now Florida is making Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl practically invisible.

I saw the Panthers against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, and I knew they were good, but what they are doing to the Oilers is somewhat shocking.

We have 16:37 left in the third, and the Oilers need to score three goals in that span just to tie the game. They have two goals in the first 165 minutes of this Final.

10:16 p.m. ET

The rallying cry around the Oilers this entire postseason has been their ability to overcome adversity, either from their bad start to the season or them trailing the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in the second round and the Dallas Stars 2-1 in the Western Conference Final.

But this might be their biggest hill to climb.

They are down 4-1 with one more period to go and in need of a miracle.

They will start the third period on the power play and desperately need a goal.

Give the Panthers credit. They are absolutely shutting down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and, well, all of the Oilers. Edmonton has two goals -- two! -- through the first eight periods of this Final.

A team that averaged 3.56 goals per game in the regular season has two goals total.

They need one early to get back in the game and get the fans back in the game.

10:08 p.m. ET

If the Oilers are going to get back into this game, they are going to need to do it on the power play. They will start the third period down 4-1 but will have 1:50 of power play time to start the period.

They got the man-advantage with 20.4 seconds left in the second when Aaron Ekblad was whistled for hooking.

That was one of the few Panthers mistakes in the second. After Oilers forward Warren Foegele scored 1:49 in to make it a 1-1 game, the Panthers took control, scoring three goals in 6:19 to make it 4-1.

The crusher goal came from Vladimir Tarasenko, who made it 2-1 at 9:12.

The Oilers are outshooting the Panthers 30-18 but trail 4-1 with 20 minutes left.

10 p.m. ET

It’s 4-1 Panthers with 1:52 left in the second.

It certainly appeared that the Oilers had found their game after the goal from Warren Foegele 1:49 into the second, but the Panthers squashed that with three goals in 6:19.

The Oilers just tried to get the crowd pumped up by showing former goalie Mike Smith in the crowd, followed by “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.

The Oilers responded with some chances, but Sergei Bobrovsky is playing like, well, Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Oilers are trying again to rattle him, by going to the net and poking at loose pucks, even Corey Perry is doing Corey Perry things, but the Panthers will have none of it.

Neither will the ref, who told Perry to “sit down” in the box while he was announcing the penalty to him and Sam Bennett following a scrum in the crease.

9:53 p.m. ET

It’s gone from bad to worse here in the second period with the Panthers scoring three times, the latest from Aleksander Barkov with 4:29 left.

He came down the slot on a 2-on-1 and beat Stuart Skinner to the stick side.

Now this place is downright somber. Not only are the Oilers losing by three goals, they seemingly can’t get anything going since the Vladimir Tarasenko goal made it 2-1.

The DJ is even trying to play some Zepplin to get the crowd going, but to no avail.

Some fans are trying to start a “Let’s Go Oilers” chant while some fans are venting their frustration at the players.

9:48 p.m. ET

The Panthers are playing the role of party poopers here, taking a 3-1 lead with 6:03 left in the second. Public Enemy No. 1 Matthew Tkachuk takes advantage of a turnover by Darnell Nurse and feeds it in front to Sam Bennett, who beats Stuart Skinner under the bar.

And this place is really quiet. This is what the Panthers do. They wear you down, sap your energy and your will, and take advantage of any mistake.

Fans are trying get the “Let’s Go Oilers” chant going again, but it’s not working. This place is stunned. And with 4:50 left in the second period, the Panthers lead 3-1, and the Oilers need some sort of spark.

9:40 p.m. ET

Just when it seemed the Oilers were taking over this game and building on something, Vladimir Tarasenko scores to give Florida a 2-1 lead.

The puck went behind the net, and Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner tried to play it,but couldn’t. Florida forward Eetu Luostarinen beat Cody Ceci to the puck and fed it in front to Tarasenko for the easy goal.

The Oilers had been getting pucks to the net, putting 22 shots on goal total through the first 30 minutes of this game. Sergei Bobrovsky is absolutely the reason Florida has a lead.

The Tarasenko goal has again put a little starch in the Edmonton crowd’s energy.

They had been ramping up the volume through most of the period, but now it’s quieted down a little bit.

The Panthers, after appearing to be on their heels a bit, are slowly getting back into their game, and that’s bad news for Edmonton.

The DJ just went old school trying to get the crowd to get loud by playing "Turn Up the Radio" by Autograph.

9:32 p.m. ET

The crowd has been pretty much chanting “Let’s Go Oilers” constantly since Warren Foegele tied the game 1:49 into the second. This place is alive again after the Panthers took a 1-0 lead late in the second period.

The Oilers are certainly getting more active around Sergei Bobrovsky’s net, throwing pucks on goal and swarming him for any rebound.

I’m sure there are some Panthers fans in this building, but the crowd certainly looks like a sea of orange and blue. And that crowd is getting its money’s worth with a great back-and-forth game that has featured some hits, some skirmishes and a lot of guys dressed as turtles.

I’m sure you know this already, but they really don’t like Matthew Tkachuk in these parts. And I’m sure the former Calgary Flames forward loves it.

9:25 p.m. ET

The second period has started, and Edmonton clearly needs a spark -- and it just got it.

Warren Foegele scored on a mini breakaway 1:49 into the period, taking a pass at center ice from Adam Henrique and beating Sergei Bobrovsky under his glove to make it a 1-1 game.

This place is alive again. It’s just what the Oilers and these fans needed.

They were so emotional in the first period, but a late goal from Sam Reinhart took a little steam out of this place.

It’s the second goal of the entire series for the Oilers, and it’s a huge one.

9:18 p.m. ET

The second period is about to start, and this place has been quieted by the Panthers taking a 1-0 lead late in the first period on a goal by Sam Reinhart.

The Oilers outshot the Panthers 13-10 and had some good chances on their two power plays, but they could not solve Sergei Bobrovsky, who has allowed one goal through the first 140 minutes of this Final.

Clearly that needs to change if the Oilers are going to get back into this game and the series.

Speaking of getting back, I will need to get back on my diet when this is all over. Up here in Edmonton, they have a setup in the press area with a nachos station (à la 7-Eleven), pizza and enough Reese’s Pieces to keep E.T. happy for decades.

9:03 p.m. ET

The Panthers strike first with Sam Reinhart scoring on a gorgeous deflection of a shot from Gustav Forsling at 18:58.

It comes a few minutes after Matthew Tkachuk and Brett Kulak each went off for roughing, so it was a 4-on-4 goal.

And this place is suddenly quiet.

The Oilers must be wondering if they are ever going to score on Sergei Bobrovsky. They got a second power play and had the puck in the Panthers zone almost the entire time, but couldn’t score. The best chance came near the end when Leon Draisaitl fed a cross-ice pass to Connor McDavid on the other side of Bobrovsky. McDavid one-timed a shot on goal, but Bobrovsky swallowed it up.

The fans are still getting on Bobrovsky, who got knocked over and possibly tried to sell a goalie interference call by going down hard.

A few minutes later, there was a skirmish behind Bobrovsky after the Oilers took a couple whacks at a loose puck near his glove.

It resulted in the penalties for Tkachuk and Kulak. There are plenty of fans in here dressed as turtles, a hint that Tkachuk likes to hide from a fight.

The Oilers went on the power play when Brandon Montour went off for slashing at 14:46.

Before that Edmonton power play, they showed a video of George Laraque highlights and then the man himself in the crowd, getting a loud cheer.

8:50 p.m. ET

Sergei Bobrovsky is already putting his stamp on this game, making two big saves during an Oilers power play, the first on Connor McDavid, who was wide open in the slot, and the second on a sharp-angled shot from Leon Draisaitl.

The Oiles had the puck in their zone for almost the entire power play and though they got some good shots, it’s still 0-0. The crowd is trying to rattle Bobrovsky by chanting “Ser-gei, Ser-gei,” but it does not appear to be working.

Edmonton went on the power play with 10:05 left in the first after Florida’s Aleksander Barkov took a delay of game penalty by flipping the puck over the glass.

This is certainly a fast-paced game, which the Oilers prefer, I’m sure. Florida is outshooting Edmonton 8-7 with 6:57 left.

They just showed a video of Billy Idol trying to urge the crowd on. Then they showed some guy dancing to Idol’s “Mony, Mony.” He’s Edmonton’s version of Dancin’ Larry, but with much more schtick. Pretty entertaining.

8:40 p.m. ET

The Oilers do a great job on the penalty kill and nearly score with Connor Brown getting two Grade-A chances in front, but Sergei Bobrovsky was there to stop him.

We have seen coach Kris Knoblauch pair Connor McDavid with Leon Draisaitl immediately after a penalty kill, and it looks like that is happening now coming out of an ice scraping. They get one scoring chance with McDavid getting a shot but missing the net.

The crowd is so into this game, going bananas each time the Oilers cross the Panthers blue line with the puck.

Cool promotion here with parachutes falling from the rafters while “Around the World” by Red Hot Chili Peppers plays.

We have 12:21 left in the first period, and it’s 0-0.

8:32 p.m. ET

The Panthers are already doing a good job of establishing their forecheck with the Oilers having a tough time getting out their own zone.

They also get the first power play of the game with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins taking an interference call against Sam Bennett.

Before that, the forecheck almost resulted in a Panthers goal, with the Oilers committing a bad turnover in their own zone, handing the puck to Matthew Tkachuk, who fed Bennett for a one-timer, but Stuart Skinner made the save.

Connor McDavid had a great scoring chance about one minute it, cutting into the Panthers zone for a clean look, but Sergei Bobrovsky was there to make the save.

The fans are chanting “Let’s Go Oilers” seemingly all the time. They are completely into this game. If the Oilers can somehow get the first goal, this place would go nuts.

Oh, did I mention they have a live band here in the Rogers Place as well, a drum and bass line, and they played “The Boys Are Back in Town,” during a short break.

8:23 p.m. ET

Puck dropeth.

We are underway here after an emotional pregame.

Even before the anthems could start, the fans chanted “Let’s Go Oilers” in unison about 10 times before the PA guy broke in to give the lineups.

Then the anthems were great, with the singer in the crowd. If you didn’t get chills during "O Canada," I don’t know what to tell you.

Perhaps the greatest part of the anthem was the clip of Joey Moss singing along to "O Canada."

Of course, the Panthers heard a lot of boos, which I think the Panthers love.

And, of course, the fans went nuts for the Oilers starters.

8:13 p.m. ET

The Oilers took the ice to the opening strains of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. This place is completely bonkers.

Before the players came out, the PA announcer said Rogers Place is the loudest building in the NHL, and you know what, he might be right.

It’s loud in here. Real loud.

This is my first time in this rink, and I have to say it’s gorgeous.

Getting to see Connor McDavid in his home rink is quite a treat, and on this stage, well, it’s even better.

We are just about to start. Huge game clearly for each team. The Oilers can get back in the series, while the Panthers can all but clinch their first Cup with a win.

Here were go.

8:10 p.m. ET

We have more changes for the Oilers.

Corey Perry and Derek Ryan are in the lineup with Evander Kane and Sam Carrick out.

On defense, Cody Ceci is back, and Vincent Desharnais is out.

Talk about getting the fans pumped up. They just showed a video of Panthers and Oilers highlights to the tune of “Sweet Victory” by David Glen Eisley. Of course, we all know it was sung by Spongebob in the episode of “Band Geeks,” which is perhaps the greatest 11 minutes in television history.

7:45 p.m. ET

The players are on the ice for warmups, and from what we can tell, Darnell Nurse will play. He was the second player on the ice behind goalie Stuart Skinner We do not see Evander Kane out there, but we do see Corey Perry, so it certainly appears Perry is back in and Kane is out.

The fans here are really jazzed for this game.

Before warmups, they showed video of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Skinner in the dressing room, and that elicited a big cheer from the crowd.

I’m really looking forward to the anthems here. Usually, the anthem singer goes into a section of the crowd and sings from there. It’s a really cool touch.

The fans here are ready for Matthew Tkachuk, a former member of the rival Calgary Flames. I just saw a little girl holding up cardboard photo of Tkachuk’s head on a turtle’s body.

7:33 p.m. ET

We are a few minutes from warmups. So, take the time to read some of our pregame coverage on NHL.com.

Here is the series page with everything you need for the Final.

The music before warmups was interesting, with the DJ playing a disco version of “Jump” by Van Halen and a disco version of “Life is a Highway” by Rascall Flatts. That’s the one from the “Cars” soundtrack. As a child of the '80s, of course I prefer the Tom Cochrane version of that song.

7:15 p.m. ET

We are about an hour away from puck drop here, and the excitement is palpable in Edmonton. Walking around this city this morning you see Oilers gear and signs everywhere. I saw a guy heading to work today with dress pants, dress shoes and a briefcase while wearing a Leon Draisaitl jersey. City workers were doing their thing on the street today also wearing Oilers jerseys.

I can’t imagine what the atmosphere will be like in this building once the anthems are sung and the puck drops.

And, of course, the atmosphere outside this arena will be crazy, with Our Lady Peace playing a pregame concert and fans packed into the Moss Pit to watch the game on big screen TVs.

Remember, this is the first Stanley Cup Final game to be played in Edmonton since 2006, and the first to be played in Canada with a full arena of fans since 2011. It could be complete mayhem.

Speaking of warmups, we are still waiting to see who will and won’t play for the Oilers. Defenseman Darnell Nurse was injured in Game 2 and didn’t skate this morning, but coach Kris Knoblauch said Wednesday that he expects him to play. And there is also a question of if forward Evander Kane will play for Edmonton, and if forward Corey Perry will be back in the lineup.

Knoblauch was not tipping his hand pregame, so we will have to find out in warmups.

For Florida, it seems certain that captain Aleksander Barkov will play after he missed the final nine minutes of Game 2 after taking a hit to face from Draisaitl.

That play alone has been a big talking point in the three days since Game 2, and I expect this one to be a rough-and-tumble affair.

I will check back when warmups start to provide any lineup news.