SUNRISE — When the Florida Panthers acquired Brad Marchand at the NHL trade deadline, they probably envisioned the veteran winger winning a Stanley Cup Playoff game in overtime.
Yeah, right.
Nonetheless … with the Panthers on the brink of a three-game hole, the former Boston Bruins star threw a puck on net with 6:53 to go in overtime. It bounced off a Toronto Maple Leafs defender and into the goal to give Florida a 5-4 win.
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Florida cut Toronto’s series lead to 2-1, avoiding the brink of elimination and living to see at least a Game 5 in Toronto. Of course, before that trip to Canada, the Panthers will host Game 4 on May 11 to try to even the series.
“There was some traffic in front, and in overtime, there’s not a bad shot you can put on the net,” Marchand said. “It took a fortuitous bounce, but that’s what happens when you put pucks there.”
More: Panthers pest Brad Marchand saves Florida from a near impossible Stanley Cup playoff hole | D’Angelo
May 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during overtime in game three of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
These were the moments why the Panthers acquired Marchand. His resume speaks for itself — over 1,000 NHL games played, 980 regular-season points, 14 playoff game-winning goals, a Stanley Cup in 2011 — but his personality helped Florida find belief in a tough spot.
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“He brings so much life to our team,” Carter Verhaeghe said. “He’s so energetic and obviously you see what he does on the ice, he is such a great player and he’s been around for so long. He’s a playoff performer, he scores big goals in big moments, he’s done it all. He’s won a Stanley Cup and he brings so much life and energy to our group … and he’s good looking.”
The night started ominously for the home team. Matthew Knies opened the scoring 23 seconds into the game, deflecting a Mitch Marner shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to put Toronto ahead. John Tavares extended that lead to 2-0 with a wrap-around 5:57 into the game.
Aleksander Barkov brought the Panthers back within a goal less than two minutes later. He tried to get a backhand shot as he was tripped while driving the net and the puck deflected off defenseman Morgan Reilly’s stick and in to make it a 2-1 game 7:38 into the first period.
Tavares restored Toronto’s two-goal lead 2:52 into the second period, deflecting a Marner shot past Bobrovsky on a power play to make it 3-1. The Panthers fought back, again, to tie the game less than two minutes later.
May 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers players celebrate after winning against the Toronto Maple Leafs during overtime in game three of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Sam Reinhart deflected a shot that leaked through Toronto goalie Joseph Woll and eventually past the goal line after multiple Maple Leafs defenders dove into the crease to try to keep it out. It was ruled a goal upon a lengthy review and the Panthers made it a 3-2 game 4:14 into the second period.
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Carter Verhaeghe tied the game 1:14 later, tapping home a backhand feed from Sam Bennett. Jonah Gadjovich gave the Panthers the lead with 4:53 to go in the second period by deflecting a Tomas Nosek shot past Woll.
Reilly tied the game back up with 9:04 to go. His wide-angle shot from the point deflected off of Bobrovsky’s blocker, off Seth Jones’ knee and into the net to make it a 4-4 game.
And send the game into overtime. Here are three takeaways from Florida’s win:
Brad Marchand has fit right in with the Panthers
Marchand has delivered on everything the Panthers have needed from him since the start of the postseason.
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He and his third-line linemates, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, have taken on heavy minutes with Matthew Tkachuk still hampered by a lower-body injury and they have, in turn, been Florida’s best line. Marchand has two goals and eight points in his first seven playoff games as a Panther.
Wholesale change on fourth line pays off for Florida
May 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) celebrates with center Sam Bennett (9) and defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) after scoring against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period in game three of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
With the Panthers straying away from their usual tight, physical style of play, coach Paul Maurice opted to make a wholesale change to his fourth line. Out came Nico Sturm, Mackie Samoskevich and Jesper Boqvist; in came Gadjovich, Nosek and A.J. Greer.
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The trio played together as Florida’s primary fourth line before trades for Sturm and Marchand forced them out of Florida’s lineup. Their chemistry was apparent as they set the tone with big hits and heavy forechecking and they came up with a big goal at a big time to give the Panthers the lead momentarily.
They were trusted with a few crucial shifts early in overtime to help set the tone, and they delivered.
”Obviously, we are familiar with each other,” Gadjovich said. “Playoff hockey is a lot different than regular-season hockey, so it was definitely an adjustment. The speed was a lot faster, and I think for us, it was just about getting our feet wet and playing our game and I think we did a good job tonight.”
Carter Verhaeghe has explosive performance after missed opportunities
After struggling to finish on a few crucial chances in the first two games of this series, Verhaeghe exploded onto the scene with a one-goal, one-assist performance in Game 3.
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Verhaeghe set up Marchand’s goal and tapped home a crucial tying goal, but his real impact has been his physicality. He racked up seven hits — all coming in the first two periods — as the Panthers looked to push back into the game following a sluggish start. The franchise’s leader in overtime points set the tone early with his physicality and muscled his way to win multiple crucial puck battles to help set up Marchand’s game-winner.
“There is a certain frequency he plays at that he can get himself to at playoff time,” Maurice said. “There is a physicality, a speed, a directness, a simplicity to his game. When there’s more chaos or more intensity, that’s when he’s at his best — and he’s not allowed to come off the ice in overtime.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Stanley Cup OT thriller: Brad Marchand’s goal lifts Panthers past Maple Leafs