Brad Marchand has seen this movie before — and for Toronto, it’s more of a recurring nightmare. The Florida Panthers veteran forward delivered the biggest moment of the night Friday, scoring the game-winning goal at 15:27 of overtime on a deflected shot that sailed past Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll, lifting the Panthers to a 5-4 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The goal trimmed Florida’s series deficit to 2-1 and injected fresh life into the Panthers’ playoff push. Marchand’s shot caromed off Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly and floated over Woll’s glove, capping a wild contest defined by deflections, comebacks, and desperation. It was the fourth goal of the night to bounce off an opposing player en route to the net — an uncanny trend that symbolized the chaotic nature of the game.
“I just tried to get it through,” Marchand said. “We needed a bounce, and we finally got one.”
Florida clawed back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits — no small feat against a Toronto team that had been dominant when playing from ahead. The Maple Leafs had been 30-3-0 when leading after the first period and 44-3-1 when leading by two or more this season, including playoffs.
But the Panthers didn’t flinch. Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, and Jonah Gadjovich also scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves, and Evan Rodrigues chipped in two assists. The Panthers have now won 13 of their last 15 playoff overtime games — another testament to their postseason resilience.
Toronto captain John Tavares led the Maple Leafs with two goals, including one that deflected off Florida’s Gustav Forsling to make it 3-1 in the second period. Rielly and Matthew Knies also scored for the Leafs, who were left stunned after squandering a golden opportunity to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Woll stopped 32 shots but couldn’t stop the bounce that ended it. Florida’s comeback began with a stroke of luck — and skill. Down 3-1, a diving Barkov threw the puck toward the net, where it caromed off a Toronto stick and past Woll. That goal ignited the home crowd, and just over a minute later, Verhaeghe tied it at 3.
Reinhart was credited with Florida’s third goal after a chaotic net-front scrum. Woll appeared to have covered the puck, but a review showed it had crossed the goal line, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Gadjovich put Florida ahead 4-3 late in the second, but Rielly tied it 4-4 midway through the third, his shot deflecting off Seth Jones’ leg.
Then came overtime — and Marchand, who remains undefeated in playoff series against the Leafs (now 5-0, dating back to his Boston days), seized the moment again.
Game 4 is set for Sunday night in Sunrise, where the Panthers will try to even the series.
“We needed something to go our way,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Marchand’s goal gave us belief. And now, we’ve got a series again.”
Can Florida continue their momentum in Game 4?
