The Florida Panthers dug deep, went the distance, and tied up the Stanley Cup Final in dramatic fashion.
With 8:03 gone in the second overtime, Brad Marchand buried his second goal of the night to give the Panthers a wild 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers and even the series at 1-1.
As he mentioned post-game, the Panthers’ center doesn’t know how he even sealed the win. “To be honest, I blacked out. I don’t even know where it went. It was a fortuitous bounce. We’ll take it.” But while the Panthers are elated, the Oilers’ hearts broke as the puck trickled across the goal line.
And none are more so than right winger Corey Perry, who tied the game at 4-4 with just 17 seconds remaining in the third period. While Perry isn’t happy with Friday’s performance, he is ready for what’s to come.
Corey Perry Wants To Turn Game 3 Into a Dogfight
The Oilers looked in control early. Goals from Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, and Evan Bouchard had them cruising through the first period. But the Panthers answered back, and then some.
Dmitry Kulikov and Marchand struck in the second period, and with the Panthers leading 4-3, Sergei Bobrovsky took over. The veteran goaltender turned away 28 shots and held the line late, at least until Perry broke through.
With just 17 seconds left in regulation, Perry tied it off a Connor McDavid feed, sending the game to overtime.
But Florida kept pressing. Unlike Game 1, the Panthers went aggressive, peppering the Oilers with chances. And it paid off. Marchand scored again — this time off an Anton Lundell assist — sealing the deal just over eight minutes into double overtime.
With this, the Panthers won Game 2, and Perry was pretty frustrated. In the post-game interview, he said, “We lost with 0.4 seconds left a couple of series ago. Those are tough. You know, you go home. Yeah, you can think about it.” But Perry also understands that mulling over bygones won’t do the Oilers any good either.
Corey Perry speaks on the battle with the Panthers and how the Oilers can get ready for Game 3. pic.twitter.com/9UdwUUof3u
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 7, 2025
“But tomorrow you get some rest and get on the plane, and be ready for Game 3. [The Panthers] are a good team. I keep saying they are a good team,” Perry mentioned. He also said that he is ready to be pushed to his limits. After all, this isn’t the first time the NHL veteran has been in the Finals.
“They’re going to push us to the max, and we’re going to push them to the max. It’s frustrating right now, but we’re in the Final for a reason.” With the following bold words, Perry concluded his statement. Now with the Games tied, the Oilers would be looking forward to taking back their lead.
Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals will be on Tuesday, June 10. The Panthers finally have home advantage at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
