Marchand scores in OT, Panthers top Maple Leafs 5-4 to cut series deficit to 2-1

SUNRISE Fla AP Brad Marchand scored on a deflected shot at of overtime and the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs - on Friday night to cut their deficit in the Eastern Conference semifinal series to - Aleksander Barkov Sam Reinhart Carter Verhaeghe and Jonah Gadjovich scored for Florida which got saves from Sergei Bobrovsky Evan Rodrigues had two assists for the Panthers They - in their last playoff overtime games John Tavares scored twice and Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly also scored for the Maple Leafs Joseph Woll stopped shots Contest will be in Sunrise on Sunday night Florida erased deficits of - and - and that s been almost impossible to do against Toronto this season By the numbers it was all looking good for the Maple Leafs They were - - when leading after the first period including playoffs the second-best record in the league They were - - the league s third-best record when scoring first They had blown only leads all season none in the playoffs They were - - in games where they led by two goals or more Combine all that with Toronto having won all of its previous best-of-seven series when taking a - lead at home Florida being - in series where it dropped both Games and and leaguewide teams facing - deficits come back to win those series only about of the time But Marchand a longtime Toronto playoff nemesis from his days in Boston got the biggest goal of Florida s season rendering all those numbers moot for now The Leafs got two goals that deflected in off of Panthers defensemen Tavares second goal nicked the glove of Gustav Forsling on its way past Bobrovsky for a - lead and Rielly s goal redirected off Seth Jones leg to tie it with left in the third Knies scored seconds into the championship the second time Toronto had a - lead in the first minute of this series Tavares made it - at and just like that the Panthers were in trouble A diving Barkov threw the puck at the night and saw it carom in off a Toronto stick to get Florida on the board only for Tavares to sum again early in the second for a - Leafs lead Florida needed a break It came Reinhart was credited with a goal after Woll thought he covered up the puck following a scrum in front of the net But after review it was determined the puck had crossed the line Florida had life the building was loud again and about a minute later Verhaeghe tied it at - Gadjovich made it - late in the second before Rielly tied it midway through the third