Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad got his total game going in Game 3
Picking a Panthers player to epitomize the Panthers’ 6-1 Game 3 rout of Edmonton Monday would be a choice between defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Sam Bennett. Take Ekblad.
Ekblad led the both teams in hits after two periods. His power-play goal, a left-circle blast to finish a wonderful passing sequence, ended the game’s competitive phase and Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner’s night 3:27 into the third. Often matched with partner Gustav Forsling against Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they helped keep the two Oilers superstars to a combined two shots and zero points.
Ekblad also got a double roughing minor during the chaotic third period during the dust-up started when Edmonton’s Jake Walman punched Panthers right wing Matthew Tkachuk while John Klingberg held Tkachuk in place.
Bennett piled up similar measurables Monday — a goal, plus-one plus/minus, finished with game-high hits, third-period misconduct. Bennett was even better than his first two games.
Just as Game 3 interrupted the breathless-overtime-battle trend established in Games 1 and 2, Ekblad’s play in Game 3 broke his brief pattern from Games 1 and 2.
“I thought he was all energy in the first two games,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Monday after Game 3. “He was covering a lot of ice and tonight, I thought he was perfectly focused in the game. So he was still doing it but more defined in the areas when he was pinching. I thought he played a really smart, veteran game.”
In Game 1, Ekblad had been a minus-two and took a pointless holding minor when he jumped on Draisaitl’s back in the Oilers zone as play headed back up ice. Ekblad and Forsling paid too much attention to Vasily Podkolzin, allowing Viktor Arvidsson space for the left circle slapshot that cut the Panthers lead to 3-2 and turned Edmonton’s lights back on just 1:17 after a Bennett goal quieted Rogers Place.
In Game 2, Ekblad was a minus-one and took a holding the stick penalty early. Plus, along with Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, he wound up looking oafish as Edmonton center McDavid’s stickhandled between them before setting up a Draisaitl goal.
“He’s got multiple options so that’s the biggest challenge, right?” Ekblad said. “You’re trying to block a shot, you’re trying to block a low pass, a backdoor pass, and a walk-on-water toe drag. So, yeah, McJesus.”
In Ekblad’s defense, he’s not the first No. 1 defenseman to be embarrassed by the best player of a generation. Mario Lemieux, on his first NHL shift, did it to layup Hall of Famer Ray Bourque in 1984...and 1992.
Midway through Game 3, Ekblad turned the tables a bit by bopping McDavid into the Comic Relief Zone.
A typical McDavid zoom through the neutral zone ended when Ekblad caught McDavid with an old fashioned butt-out, backing up hip check that knocked McDavid sideways with windmilling arms and kicking skates. After landing and skidding toward the boards, McDavid went to the Oilers dressing room but returned for his next shift.
Ekblad also crunched Edmonton’s Corey Perry, who rose as if suddenly his body reminded him that he’s 40 and 1,626 regular season and playoff games into his career.
“He’s a physical player,” Maurice said. “You have Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad, both of those guys came into the league as offensive players but there’s quite a bit more to their game than that and with Aaron, that’s on full display now.”
