Brad Marchand makes his feelings known about Maple Leafs' mindset after Game 3 OT loss 

Brad Marchand spoke about the Toronto Maple Leafs' mindset after Game 3. Despite scoring the overtime winner for the Florida Panthers, Marchand gave credit to the Leafs. NHL insider David Alter shared Marchand’s comment on X/Twitter.

“You saw how they prepared for that game, they have that killer instinct now,” Marchand said.

Toronto lost 5-4 in overtime on Friday at Amerant Bank Arena. Marchand scored the game-winner at 15:27 of overtime.

The game started quickly for Toronto. Matthew Knies scored just 23 seconds into the game. That was the fastest playoff goal for the Leafs since 1962. John Tavares then scored twice, and his second goal came on the power play in the second period.

Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Jonah Gadjovich scored for the Panthers. Reinhart had a goal and an assist while Rodrigues added two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves for the Panthers.

Toronto goalie Joseph Woll made 32 saves. Mitch Marner and William Nylander each had two assists. Morgan Rielly tied the game 4-4 in the third period. His shot bounced off a defender and into the net.

Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube had forewarned about Brad Marchand

Brad Marchand is giving the Toronto Maple Leafs problems in the second round of the playoffs. Now playing for the Florida Panthers, he continues to be an important player. Previously on Thursday, Leafs coach Craig Berube said Marchand is a skilled player and makes his line dangerous.

"On that line, he is a very good player (and) we all know that he has the ability to extend plays with his skill his strength, he can make plays and he's good at it," Berube said via TSN's Mark Masters. "He's a gamer. So I think he makes that line very dangerous."

Brad Marchand had a solid Game 2 on Wednesday, despite the loss for the Panthers. Contributing with a goal in that game, he now has a two-game goal streak and a five-game point streak. Previously, he recorded two assists in Game 1 on Monday. Toronto’s defense has improved, but Marchand remains a strong offensive player, posing a threat.

Marchand was traded to the Panthers in March after contract disagreements led him to leave the Boston Bruins where he played for 16 seasons. Since then, he has continued to play well in big games.

The Maple Leafs lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled to take place at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday.