Panthers’ AJ Greer to replace Jesper Boqvist in lineup for Game 3

Florida Panthers left winger A.J. Greer will play the first Stanley Cup Final game of his career on Monday against the Edmonton Oilers, returning to the lineup after missing the first two games of the series due to an undisclosed injury.

The 28-year-old replaces Jesper Boqvist, who has been the Panthers’ primary first-choice fill-in through the postseason, skating for Sam Bennett and Greer over the previous rounds.

Greer, a native of Joliette, Que., has not played since May 28 and Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, and only skated 4:22 in that matchup as well. Having also missed Game 4 of that series, he has not played over 10 minutes in a game since skating 10:16 on May 28, a 6-2 Game 3 win.

Through the playoffs so far, Greer has played in 12 games and posted two goals and three points, keeping a similar pace to his regular season mark of six goals and 17 points over 81 games.

However, he has made his two-way game noticeable, with 45 hits, the ninth most among all Panthers players. Boqvist, meanwhile, has two goals and three assists in 13 games through the 2024 playoffs, but has been a less physically imposing force, with 41 hits in an extra game.

“[Greer] is a pain to play against,” Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues said. “He’s a guy that can change the momentum of a game. He’s heavy on the forecheck. For the most part, I don’t think you want to get hit by him. So he’s just, overall, he’s a really good presence for us. He chips in offensively. He lays the body. And just an overall pain in the neck to play against.”

Puckdrop for Game 3 is set for 8:00 p.m. ET at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, with the series tied at 1-1, after Brad Marchand scored a double-overtime winning goal to take Game 2 in Edmonton.