The Florida Panthers acquired former Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, specifically for a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Panthers have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive season, and they hope to win what would be their second consecutive championship. And the play of Marchand has been a major reason why they’ve advanced so far.
Thanks to his latest goal in the early goings of Game 3 on Monday night, Marchand is now officially in the NHL record books.
Brad Marchand Made NHL History With His Latest Panthers Goal
Marchand opened the scoring for the Panthers just 56 seconds into the opening period, giving the Panthers the 1-0 lead. He picked up a loose puck in front of the crease, turned, and fired it into the open net past the sprawling Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner.
Not only was it already Marchand’s fourth goal of the Stanley Cup Final, but he became the oldest player in NHL history — at 37 years of age — to find the back of the net in each of the first three games in a Stanley Cup Final series.
The player to previously hold that distinction was 35-year-old Frank Mahovlich of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1973 Stanley Cup Final.
Brad Marchand just wants to score all the goals in this Stanley Cup final. According to the NHL, Marchand at 37 is “the oldest player to score in the first three games of a Stanley Cup Final, besting the previous mark held by 35-year-old Frank Mahovlich (3 GP in 1973 w/ MTL).''
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 10, 2025
Marchand has been on a roll for the Panthers in the postseason, helping Florida dispatch the Toronto Maple Leafs with a vintage performance in the seventh and deciding game of the series early last month.
He scored a goal with two assists, helping to pick up the fifth Game 7 victory of his NHL career against the Maple Leafs; the first four came with the Bruins.
He’s followed that up with nothing short of a purely determined effort for the Panthers in their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final matchup against the Oilers, having now scored four goals in the first three games.
Perhaps none was bigger than his double-overtime game-winning shot against the Oilers nearly midway through the second overtime period of Game 2 on Friday evening, a score which had his teammates fired up.
“I think our whole bench stood up when he had a breakaway there,” Sam Bennett said of Marchand’s double-overtime goal. “It’s just a huge play at a huge time. He’s been incredible for us this whole playoffs, scoring massive goals at massive times. That one was definitely the biggest.”
Marchand is eligible for unrestricted free agency starting in July, and thanks to his performance in the postseason, his price tag continues to go up.
During his Stanley Cup acceptance speech, Marchand might want to thank inept Bruins Front Office for cutting him loose!