Brad Marchand continued to be clutch for the Panthers throughout the playoffs when he scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway in double-overtime in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.
The goal tied the Cup Final at one game apiece. The series now shifts to Florida for Games 3 and 4.
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“His anticipation and his hockey sense is unbelievable,” Matthew Tkachuk told reporters after the game. “You see it (Friday) with two breakaway goals. Just seeing the play and he’s gone. I saw that a ton with him playing in Boston. Way better seeing it now.”
The goal Marchand’s second of the game. The 37-year-old became the first NHL player to score a shorthanded goal and an overtime goal in the same game. Marchand’s 10 career goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the most among active players.
Marchand admitted to TNT after the game that he blacked out during the game-winning goal, but scoring big goals in big moments is something the veteran forward has done many times throughout his career — especially on the breakaway.
So he had just one thought on both goals.
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“Just don’t forget the puck,” Marchand told reporters after the game. “That’s the main thing. I’ve done that before. It’s not a good feeling.”
While there might have been questions about Marchand’s health when the Boston Bruins traded him to the Panthers in March due to an injury at the time of the trade, the forward has been playing at an elite level throughout the playoffs with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 19 games.
“He could play till he’s 47 the way he’s going,” Tkachuk told reporters. “Unreal player, unreal competitor.”
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