Paul Bissonnette was clearly upset after the Toronto Maple Leafs lost Game 3 in overtime. Brad Marchand scored the winning goal for the Panthers at 15:27 of overtime. Marchand received a pass from Dmitry Kulikov and skated across the ice to fire a wrist shot, which deflected off Morgan Rielly and beat Joseph Woll. It was Marchand’s fourth career playoff overtime goal.
Bissonnette, a big Maple Leafs fan and co-host of Spittin' Chiclets, shared a video of his reaction on X.
In the clip, Bissonnette shared his disappointment after the Game 3 loss.
"Anybody but him (Marchand), anybody but him, but great game put it behind you get some rest tomorrow and come ready for a big game for put it behind you," Bissonnette said.
"A couple opportunities they had to close out, nice knee lander breakaways would have liked a little bit more at the net in overtime simplify get them running but put it behind you. Anybody but him though."
Florida cut the series lead to 2-1, and Game 4 will now be played on Sunday.
In Friday's game, Toronto had a 2-0 lead early. Matthew Knies scored the first goal just 23 seconds into the opening period. Forward John Tavares, who scored twice in the game, scored his first goal nearly five minutes later to make the score 2-0 for the Leafs.
But Florida, which was determined to win, fought back and tied the game. The Leafs had chances in overtime, including breakaways from William Nylander. However, they could not finish, and Marchand ended the game.
Florida got goals from Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov, and Jonah Gadjovich. Last year's Stanley Cup star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves.
Paul Bissonnette advised the Maple Leafs prior to Wednesday's game
Before Wednesday's Game 2 between the Maple Leafs and the Panthers, Paul Bissonnette gave his opinion on Sam Bennett, who hit Anthony Stolarz in Game 1, following which the Leafs' netminder is out with a suspected concussion.
The NHL chose not to punish Bennett, which upset some Leafs fans. Bissonnette spoke on Spittin’ Chiclets Game Notes and said the Leafs should not focus on revenge.
"No, I honestly think that if the Leafs want to win this series, they have to play to their identity," Bissonnette said. "They’ve got guys who can respond if needed — maybe a few will challenge Bennett, but the focus needs to be on playing smart... Don’t try to be something you’re not."
The Maple Leafs were composed in Game 2 and won it with a 4-3 score.
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