Florida Gets Back On Track, Wins OT Thriller In Game Three

SUNRISE, FL – With their backs soon to be against the wall, the Florida Panthers went wire-for-wire with Toronto in Game Three and came out on top in overtime by a score of 5-4. They could have been down 3-0 against the Maple Leafs. Instead, they now have a chance to reset the series in Game Four.

Overtime hockey in the playoffs is so unbelievably stressful.

Florida's backs were against the wall in this series until Brad Marchand – no stranger to breaking the hearts of Toronto – called the game. 🏒

A Panthers win in Game Four can reset the series.#TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/qxhJFbtWKx

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) May 10, 2025

I think this was the weirdest game in the series. Both teams had to rely on the OTHER team to score their goals. In the end, 6o minutes of hockey was not enough and in the brightest lights, the certified Leaf killer in Brad Marchand called the game.

An Early Sign Of The Times

If you felt like Florida needed to be the desperate team out of the gate, you were surely disappointed that Toronto scored a goal 23 seconds in. Matthew Knies was right there for the rebound off a missed shot that clanked off the crossbar.

To make matters worse, the Leafs doubled down with another goal at the 5:57 mark. A move as old as time, the classic wraparound by John Tavares beat out Sergei Bobrovsky, who was slow to react.

This was just like Game One when Florida got into a hole early and had to dig itself out. In that game, Florida took until the third period to respond on offense. Tonight, they took action immediately.

THIS IS OUR CAPTAIN. pic.twitter.com/9XBz3EwuYK

— x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 9, 2025

With the team on his back, Aleksander Barkov drove to the net, lost traction, and fell forward, but not before sending the puck across the net, bouncing off the stick of Morgan Reilly into the net. An own goal, if you will. Get ready to hear that a few more times.

Bringing The Boom On The Leafs

In the third, Florida’s mandatory comeback against Toronto had to become even more brutal. Almost three minutes in, the Panthers’ otherwise exceptional penalty kill made a critical error. A longshot from Tavares bounced off the glove of Gustav Forsling in front of the net, becoming the second own goal of the night.

Only two minutes later, the Panthers put together some of their best zone containment of the playoffs. The pressure on Toronto was a bit too much for them to handle, as the Cats got a pair of goals to tie this thing up.

Sam Reinhart capitalized on a barrage in front of the net. The puck was seemingly wrangled by Joseph Woll, until it wasn’t. The puck became free and, despite the best effort of the Leafs to keep it out, slid across the red line. It had to be reviewed, but the puck never lies.

IT'S A GOOD GOAL THANKS TO REINO!! pic.twitter.com/KltYf3dluM

— x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 10, 2025

Not long after that fiasco, Carter Vaerhaeghe set up a shot on the left side of the net. Sam Bennett threaded the needle with a pass to Swaggy, who did the rest, giving the lead to Florida.

Just How They Drew It Up

If you were getting fed up with the own goals, prepare for disappointment. There was only one goal in the third, which was scored by Toronto. After almost 11 minutes, Rielly sent a snapshot to the net that bounced off Seth Jones at JUST the right angle that Bob couldn’t reach.

That was it for Period #3, so we headed to overtime. Both teams had some excellent looks at the net, with Bobrovsky having to make a few critical saves. For as disappointing as this series has been for him, he turned back the clock in overtime.

BRAD MARCHAND 🫡

His @Energizer overtime winner gives the @FlaPanthers the Game 3 victory! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/lRMM1ph39h

— NHL (@NHL) May 10, 2025

As mentioned in the beginning, Marchand flew in a shot that, yes, bounced off a Leafs player into the net. A fitting play to end this game for a fitting player to beat Toronto, that’s for sure.

This win for Florida in Game Three is nice, but you have to look at the bigger picture. The Panthers are still down two games to one in the series, but there’s life in it once again. Their next game is this upcoming Sunday at 7:30 pm. If the Cats win, this series is tied up and now becomes a best-of-three to see who moves on.