The Toronto Maple Leafs were on the brink of taking a dominant 3-0 series lead against the Florida Panthers Friday night, but their hopes for Game 3 were thwarted by a very familiar opponent.
Brad Marchand sealed the crucial game in Sunrise, Florida, scoring at 15:27 of overtime when his shot deflected past Toronto goalie Joseph Woll.
His game-winning goal capped off a resilient performance by the Panthers, who came back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1. This victory prevented them from facing a 3-0 series deficit going into Sunday`s Game 4. According to the NHL, this was only the 11th time in 40 years a team has achieved a multi-goal comeback to avoid being down 3-0 in a series.
As is widely known, Marchand is very familiar with the Maple Leafs and has a history of frustrating them. With Friday`s overtime goal, the 36-year-old has accumulated 33 playoff points against Toronto over his 16-year career, placing him third all-time and just two points behind second place.
Marchand joined the defending champions via a trade deadline deal. It appears the Panthers got exactly what they wanted when they acquired the former Stanley Cup champion for the relatively low price of a conditional second-round draft pick. He has maintained a point-per-game pace throughout the 2025 playoffs and now has four points in the first three games against Toronto.
Here are some of the top reactions to Marchand`s Game 3 winner, which certainly aggravated Maple Leafs fans across the board.
