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Maple Leafs Coach's Comments on Brad Marchand Backfire in Game 3 Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 10, 2025 7:50 AM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube tried to avoid making headlines before Game 3 by downplaying the antics of Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand.

When asked about the veteran winger’s reputation as a chirper, the Leafs coach shrugged it off.

“I don’t really care,” Berube said. “Like, just talk.”

Marchand, acquired by the Panthers at the deadline, had already played good hockey in the series by netting one goal in Game 2 and providing two assists in Game 1.

However, it was in Game 3 when the veteran delivered the ultimate response: Marchand scored the game-winning goal at 15:27 of overtime to lift the Panthers to a 5-4 victory, cutting the Leafs' series lead to 2-1.

Scott Laughton on verbally engaging with Brad Marchand:

"We’ve gone at it quite a bit throughout my career. It’s nice. For myself, it gets you into the game a little bit. Yeah, it’s good."

Craig Berube doesn't mind

"I don't really care. It's just talk"https://t.co/bU9EpZJMHr https://t.co/qPI4lPhrqS
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) May 9, 2025

The overtime tally marked his 14th career playoff game-winner, the most among all active skaters.

The goal capped a gritty comeback by the Panthers, who had erased 2-0 and 3-1 deficits after goals by Matthew Knies and John Tavares put the Leafs ahead early.

Florida got scoring contributions from Aleksander Barkov first, and then Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, and Jonah Gadjovich hitting three unanswered goals until Morgan Rielly cut the streak making it 4-4 and sending the game to overtime.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had been using Marchand on a line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, and the trio has flourished, producing more than other, better-on-paper, Florida lines.

“It’s been fun to watch,” Maurice said about that line. “Brad’s not a point producer from cheating the game… these two guys have just flourished with that.”

Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday in Sunrise, where Florida will try to even the series at 2-2 with puck drop set at 7:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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