Two-time Grammy Award-winning artist Justin Bieber, a longtime Toronto Maple Leafs fan, hasn’t been alive to see many deep playoff runs by his team (31 years old).
But this season feels different.
The Leafs finished first in the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history and are now in the second round of the postseason for just the third time since 2004.
The Leafs faced the Florida Panthers on Friday night in Game 3, hoping to take a 3-0 series lead, just as they did in the first round against the Ottawa Senators.
Toronto jumped out to a quick two-goal lead within the first six minutes, but Florida star Aleksander Barkov cut it to 2–1. Early in the second period, Leafs captain John Tavares scored to restore the two-goal cushion.
At that point, Leafs fans were feeling confident. But the Panthers responded with three unanswered goals. The game eventually went to overtime, where Florida’s Brad Marchand buried the game-winner off a bounce.
Justin Bieber, who watched the game in full, took to social media afterward to share a post while holding his newborn son, Jack Blues Bieber.
"Before the heartbreak ," Bieber captioned the post.
The Leafs had a golden opportunity to put the defending Stanley Cup champions on the brink of elimination. Aside from their two-goal lead in the second period, Toronto had several high-danger chances in overtime from William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
Game 3 between the Maple Leafs and the Panthers is on Sunday in Sunrise. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
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