Connor McDavidB次元官网网址檚 dream of hoisting a Stanley Cup this spring is turning into a nightmare.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves as the visiting Florida Panthers held on to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday and take a 3-0 chokehold in the best-of-seven title series.

Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, with a goal and an assist each, Vladimir Tarasenko and Sam Bennett scored for Florida, which has smothered McDavid and the OilersB次元官网网址� attack through nine periods.

And whenever the Oilers have had a look B次元官网网址� except for brief surges like ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 third period after trailing 4-1 B次元官网网址� Bobrovsky has been close to perfect.

Warren Foegele, Philip Broberg and Ryan McLeod replied for Edmonton. Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots. McDavid had two assists.

The Panthers can clinch their first Cup on Saturday back at Rogers Place. Game 5, if necessary, would be Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena.

Bobby deserves it ALL!

B次元官网网址� Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers)

Florida, which lost to the Vegas Golden Knights last spring, is looking to become just the third team in the NHLB次元官网网址檚 post-1967 expansion era to hoist hockeyB次元官网网址檚 holy grail after losing the final the previous year, joining the Oilers (1984) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009).

The Oilers, meanwhile, will hope to avoid becoming the first team swept in the championship round since the 1998 Washington Capitals.

Barkov suited up after taking a forearm to the jaw from Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl in the third period of FloridaB次元官网网址檚 4-1 victory Monday. Edmonton was without winger Evander Kane (sports hernia), but defenceman Darnell Nurse (suspected hip injury) was good to go.

Tied 1-1 after Foegele, who was ejected from Game 2 for kneeing, scored his second goal of the playoffs under BobrovskyB次元官网网址檚 glove at 1:49 of the middle period, the netminder made big stops on Zach Hyman and McDavid inside a frothing Rogers Place.

The Panthers then took advantage of a Skinner miscue at the other end of the rink when he couldnB次元官网网址檛 stop a puck behind his net. Eetu Luostarinen won a race with Cody Ceci and found Tarasenko in front for his fourth at 9:12.

Nurse committed another turnover that led to Matthew Tkachuk passing to Bennett, who roofed his seventh at 13:57.

Barkov added to EdmontonB次元官网网址檚 misery on a breakaway 1:34 later to make it 4-1 B次元官网网址� and further silence the orange-and-blue-clad crowd.

Broberg gave the Oilers some life at 6:02 of the second when the rookie defenceman fired his first goal upstairs on Bobrovsky.

McLeod made it 4-3 at 14:43 with his second on a deflection to breathe more life into Rogers Place.

Bobrovsky then denied the winger of the tying goal from in close, and the Panthers held on from there despite some nervy moments.

Reinhart opened the scoring with 62 seconds left in the opening period with the teams playing 4-on-4 after a big scrum around BobrovskyB次元官网网址檚 net.

The winger, who scored 57 times in the regular season, redirected Gustav ForslingB次元官网网址檚 feed past Skinner for his ninth of the post-season after some good work from Barkov.

The Oilers had plenty of chances before FloridaB次元官网网址檚 breakthrough, but Bobrovsky was there at every turn.

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Connor Brown had two short-handed opportunities, while a pair of power-play chances failed to connect despite a string of good looks for McDavid, Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl.

BobrovskyB次元官网网址檚 best save came on a cross-ice pass from Draisaitl to McDavid, who has 33 points in the playoffs, but just two assists in this series, that the goaltender read perfectly.

DRAISAITL ESCAPES

The big German avoided supplementary discipline for the play in Game 2 that knocked Barkov out of the action.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not a player who plays with an intent to injure anybody by any means,B次元官网网址� Draisaitl, who has never been suspended, said Thursday morning. B次元官网网址淚 have no track record of that. IB次元官网网址檓 not a player who enjoys that part of the game B次元官网网址� injuring other players or anything like that. I caught him in an unfortunate spot.B次元官网网址�

DAVIES IN THE HOUSE

Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies, who grew up in Edmonton, was at Rogers Place supporting the Oilers ahead of the Copa America tournament later this month.

TRAVEL WOES

The Panthers were delayed arriving in Edmonton by three hours Wednesday by a massive storm that drenched the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.

Florida head coach Paul Maurice downplayed any potential impact for his team, but added there was a downside.

B次元官网网址淭he coaches put on seven pounds,B次元官网网址� he quipped. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the only ramification B次元官网网址� we ate 12 meals.B次元官网网址�

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press