Oilers Nearly Eclipse Stanley Cup Final History With 85 Penalty Minutes in Game 3

The Oilers came close to the most penalty minutes in Stanley Cup Final history Monday.

Edmonton Oilers right wing Kapanen heads the to penalty box after a fight against the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers spent plenty of time in the penalty box Monday night—85 total minutes—during their 6–1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final to fall behind 2–1 in the series.

The chaos began in the first period, which saw eight total penalties and a heated scrum after the horn sounded. The Panthers scored their fifth goal of the night early in the third period to take a four-goal lead before the chippy contest really went off the rails.

Mayhem ensued after Oilers forward Trent Frederic went after Florida's Sam Bennett, which sent all 10 players on the ice into a massive brawl. After the situation was settled, the referees handed out a plethora of penalties and ejections.

Following the melee, even more cheap shots and commotion were on the docket, which led to 16 penalties in the third period for Edmonton after four in the first and one in the second. When the final horn sounded, the Oilers had 21 penalties for 85 penalty minutes in the loss.

Edmonton's 85 penalty minutes are the most any team has recorded in a Stanley Cup Final game in nearly 40 years, since the Montreal Canadiens had 90 penalty minutes in 1986 while their opponent, the Calgary Flames, had 86 on the same night. The Canadiens' 90 penalty minutes in Game 4 of the '86 Stanley Cup Final remains the most of any team in Stanley Cup Final history.

More recently, the Panthers had 84 penalty minutes in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.

Now facing a 2–1 deficit in the series, the Oilers hope to rack up goals opposed to penalty minutes in Game 4 Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.

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