Maple Leafs drop Game 3 in OT as Panthers cut Toronto’s series lead to 2-1: Takeaways

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The Toronto Maple Leafs came flying out of the gates in Game 3, but the Florida Panthers remain the reigning Stanley Cup champions for a reason.

After allowing two quick goals and then allowing the Leafs to build a 3-1 lead, the Panthers stormed back with three unanswered goals in the second period to build a 4-3 lead. It was a lead they would give up in the third period, but Brad Marchand did what he does best and sunk the Leafs with an overtime goal.

After Marchand’s overtime goal and a second period that felt like one of the Panthers’ best in the playoffs, they now look alive and well in the series. They’re still down 2-1, but crucially, they appear to have figured out how to beat Leafs goalie Joseph Woll time and time again.

At the other end of the ice, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t exactly looked like a world-beater either. But now that he’s getting enough run support, his struggles can be swept under the rug for one game.

The Leafs have shown an ability throughout these playoffs to push back against adversity, both against the Panthers and the Ottawa Senators in the first round. But Game 3 felt like a backbreaker. And as high as Leafs fans undoubtedly got after their team’s impressive Game 2 win, Game 3 was a reminder of how long this series might end up being.

Woll struggles in second start

The Joseph Woll who locked things down against the Panthers in the 2023 playoffs and against the Bruins last year — entering in relief in both cases — has not yet appeared through these playoffs.

Yes, Morgan Rielly knocked a goal into his own net. And yes, the Leafs as a whole allowed the Panthers back into the game in the second period. An 11-minute stretch in that period crushed the Leafs’ chances.

But for the third game in a row, Woll gave up at least three goals. Not only did Woll not look sharp with his positioning or his puck play, but he also gave up the kind of goals that ended up being backbreakers for the Leafs. Woll ended up giving up five goals on 37 shots.

You could make a case that he should have found a way to keep the puck out of his net on the Panthers’ second goal. A scramble in front of him didn’t go his way.

But fourth liner Jonah Gadjovich’s shot from outside the faceoff circle? Woll should have made a blocker save on what was the Panthers’ fourth goal. Yes, he’s only made three appearances in the playoffs. And that comes after not playing for 20 days once Anthony Stolarz took over starting duties in the playoffs. Nevertheless, Woll simply hasn’t shown shades of his ability to steal a game for the Leafs like he did in 2023 and 2024. If this series goes the distance, the Leafs could use more of that version of Woll.

Toronto’s hot start

OK, let’s find some reason for optimism for the Leafs after the loss: Matthew Knies’ goal just 23 seconds after puck drop was the fastest from the start of a playoff game in more than 62 years. It was the fourth-fastest playoff goal in Leafs history. When you score a goal that puts you in the conversation with names such as Sid Smith and Bob Pulford, you know you’re doing something special.

MATTHEW KNIES GETS THINGS GOING JUST 23 SECONDS INTO GAME 3! 💨 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/nP427p5X27

— NHL (@NHL) May 9, 2025

A little over five minutes later, the Leafs again pounced on a sluggish Panthers side when John Tavares stuffed a wraparound goal past Sergei Bobrovsky. That was the 11th goal the Leafs had scored on the Panthers’ goalie in seven periods. And it left the Amerant Bank Arena crowd deflated, at least for a while. After the Panthers went down 0-2 in the series, the safe money would have been on them storming out of the gates. Instead, the Leafs had one of their best starts in recent memory.

Remember the days of this Leafs team struggling with starts? We’re constantly looking for ways that this 2025 version of the team is different. Their ability to put their stamp on the game almost immediately is indeed a difference. Yes, it was a hot start that was eventually wasted. But it’s something the Leafs can build on, and it’s a difference Craig Berube and Co. should be proud of.

Maurice shifts matchups

Credit Panthers coach Paul Maurice for stemming some early momentum against his team by using the last line change to shift the matchups.

With Aleksander Barkov’s top line having a difficult time against Auston Matthews and Co. during the first period, Maurice turned that assignment over to the Brad Marchand-Anton Lundell-Eetu Luostarinen trio. It worked. Not only did Lundell’s line start tilting that tough matchup in Florida’s favor, but it gave Barkov a lighter lift.

On paper, the Marchand-Lundell-Luostarinen trio gets recorded as Florida’s third line. But the way they’ve played in this series warrants a placing higher than that.

“It’s been fun to watch,” said Maurice. “They’ve been good from the minute they got together.”

The hope was that Marchand could bring a little more offense out of two younger defensive-minded teammates.

“This guy’s the perfect complement,” said Maurice. “Brad’s not a point producer from cheating the game, from ‘hey we can make 10 more plays,’ he’s got a really healthy respect of the game and these two guys have just flourished with that.”

Maurice also pushed some buttons by swapping out his entire fourth line from Game 2. The A.J. Greer-Tomas Nosek-Jonah Gadjovich trio brought plenty of life, not to mention more than their fair share of offensive zone time, and got a huge go-ahead goal from Gadjovich late in the second period.

Panthers’ strong second

It’s no stretch to call the second period the most important the Panthers have played all season.

Trailing 3-1 in the game after Tavares’s goal, and already down 2-0 in the series, they mounted a massive pushback. Shot attempts at five-on-five were 20-6 in Florida’s favor and they pumped home three unanswered goals as a result.

Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe struck 64 seconds apart, tying the score 3-3, and signaling that Florida wouldn’t go away easily.

Prior to the game, Maurice spoke of the importance of managing the massive in-game swings that tend to occur during playoffs. He felt that was even more critical than thinking about where they sat in the series overall.

“The game still has to be played, and it has to be played intelligently and at a high level,” he said. “As pressure mounts, whether the team’s trying to close out or trying to claw back, you just want to make sure that you’re not trying to hit a home run every time you touch the puck.”

The middle frame set Florida down the path to the overtime heroics that followed.

(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

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