The Florida Panthers escaped Game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final with a win. Veteran forward Brad Marchand scored twice in the game, including the game-winner in double overtime. Florida defeated the Edmonton Oilers by the score of 5-4 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The Panthers and Oilers are tied at one game apiece in this Final. This is the third straight Final for Florida as they lost in 2023 before defeating Edmonton in 2024. In a way, this stretch run is not possible without Marchand, though he was not a member of the Panthers at the time.
Marchand was with the Boston Bruins in 2023 when the two Atlantic Division rivals met in the first round. In Game 5, Marchand could have eliminated Florida. Boston had a 3-1 series lead, and he had a breakaway with seconds remaining. He didn’t score, and Florida won the series in seven games.
Marchand knows the little details matter most. The biggest moments will define any championship runs. But those moments do not happen without the smaller moments leading up to it.
“So many things that are out of your control and your team’s control that can dictate the course of a series or a game,” Marchand said, via The Athletic’s Chris Johnston and Michael Russo. “I keep going back to when we lost to Florida a couple years ago and, you know, we never should have lost that series. But we did. We missed a breakaway in Game 5 and a couple seconds left and it should have been over right there. That one play, (Sergei Bobrovsky) making a big save, and Florida ends up winning.
“There’s little moments like that through all kinds of series that kind of create these opportunities for teams.”
Panthers Embrace Former Foe Brad Marchand
Steph Chambers/Getty ImagesFlorida Panthers star Brad Marchand is partly responsible for his team’s current run despite having played on another team.
The Panthers are an extremely physical team on the ice. And they are not a team with a short memory. They will remember anything and everything that happens in a game. With Marchand, however, they are embracing their foe-turned-comrade.
“Playoffs aside, I think his best strength as a player, like he’s really skilled, hard on pucks, wants the puck, but his anticipation and his just being in the right spots and his hockey sense, it’s unbelievable,” Florida star Matthew Tkachuk said, via Johnston and Russo. “You see it tonight, two breakaway goals, just seeing a play, seeing it go to a player, and he’s gone and gets an unbelievable chance. I saw that a ton from him in Boston, and it’s waaaaay better seeing it here.”
Marchand is elevating his game at the right time. His skills were once applied to try and end Florida’s postseason hopes. Now, he is using this skill to aid Florida’s quest for another Stanley Cup title. His teammates could not be more appreciative.
Florida Has Work To Do In 2025 Stanley Cup Final
Marchand’s performance definitely gives Florida confidence heading into the next set of games in the Stanley Cup Final. However, the Oilers are not going to go away. Florida has to keep its focus on what’s in front of them.
Florida has had some wonky games when they were in charge before. In the second round, for instance, they sat back against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6. Toronto won that contest to force Game 7, where they lost.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, it happened again. The Panthers allowed the Carolina Hurricanes to control the play. Carolina forced Game 5, but could not defeat Florida.
While Florida has been able to bounce back, they cannot play with fire in this series. The Oilers have shown they can burn the Panthers in this series. Let’s see how the Panthers respond in Game 3 on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
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