It could have taken somewhat longer than he needed to, however Brad Marchand has now formally scored a objective for 2 totally different NHL franchises. The Florida Panthers ahead discovered twine for the primary time not as a member of the Boston Bruins in a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Purple Wings at Amerant Financial institution Enviornment on Thursday evening.
“I’m simply having fun with this entire journey, it’s such a singular expertise for myself,” Marchand mentioned after the victory, per NHL.com’s George Richards. “I’ve been a part of actually good groups which have completed large issues, and a few that haven’t. Regardless, what you understand is these alternatives are few and much between. Take pleasure in on daily basis on this League, and I’m having quite a lot of enjoyable proper now.”
After spending the primary practically 16 seasons of his profession in Massachusetts, Marchand was shockingly acquired by the Panthers simply hours earlier than the March 7 NHL Commerce Deadline. He did not make his Florida debut till March 27 after being sidelined with an upper-body harm.
The 36-year-old lastly received off the schneid in an enormous win over the Wings on house ice on Thursday, scoring the group’s third objective late within the second interval.
He’ll look to construct off of that momentum with simply three video games left till the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That is a spot the place Marchand is kind of acquainted; he gained a championship with the Bruins in 2011 and got here inside one victory of one other title within the 2019 Stanley Cup Remaining.
The Panthers introduced Marchand in for precisely that purpose, as they give the impression of being to grow to be the primary group to win back-to-back Stanley Cups because the Tampa Bay Lightning completed the feat in 2020 and 2021.
After advancing to the 2023 Finals — and shedding to the Vegas Golden Knights in 5 video games — the Panthers completed the job final yr, beating the Edmonton Oilers in an exhilarating Recreation 7. It was the primary time ever the franchise has been on the prime of the hockey world.
In 2024-25, it’ll be a tricky street out of the Japanese Convention for Marchand and his new group.
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Panthers jockeying for home-ice benefit in Atlantic Division
Now 46-29-4, Florida is 4 factors behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, who lead the Atlantic Division and have a sport in hand on the Panthers.
If the standings maintain, and the Lightning do not leapfrog the Leafs over the past seven days of the season, the Panthers will end third within the division and play the Bolts in Spherical 1 for the second straight yr.
Florida beat Tampa Bay in 5 video games in that collection, though each rosters look fairly a bit totally different this time round. The Lightning now have Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand within the fold, whereas the Panthers have added Marchand and Seth Jones to the equation.
Though Marchand has been quiet in his first couple of weeks in Florida, he’ll be anticipated to tackle an enormous position within the postseason — no matter who the squad faces.
Primarily based on Thursday’s sport, the Nova Scotia native is able to make a run at a second Stanley Cup together with the Panthers this spring.