8:22 p.m. ET
The anthems and the pregame hype is over and it’s time to drop the puck.
The anthems, of course, were emotional.
This after the message on the ice told the fans to “GET CUP LOUD.” And they are loud. REALLY, REALLY LOUD.
DJ Khaled got the crowd pumped by spinning some vinyl and telling the fans to “make some noise.” That was before player introductions. Not surprisingly, the Oilers were booed.
One interesting during playing introductions was Oiler forward Evander Kane, who is not starting, taking a lap or two on the ice while the Panthers were being introduced.
If you’re keeping score at home, the official drum-banger for the Panthers tonight was Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat.
It’s really incredible how the Panthers have turned this area into a hockey hotbed. These fans are going absolutely bonkers and the game hasn’t started yet.
And why not? This is clearly a huge game, with the winning team moving within two wins of the Cup.
The first two games of this Final have been absolutely bonkers, with lead changes, quick goals, hits, penalties. We expect more of it tonight.
My NHL.com colleague Shawn Roarke, who did this live blog the first two games, has yet to recover from the chaos. I hope I can survive.
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