Despite being traded from the Boston Bruins to the Florida Panthers just over three weeks ago, forward Brad Marchand has been out of the team's lineup due to an upper-body injury. He made his debut on Friday night against the Utah Hockey Club—and made the most out of it.
With the game tied 1-1 from Sunrise, Fla.'s Amerant Bank Arena, Utah and the Panthers battled through nearly the entire five-minute overtime period before—with just over 40 seconds left—Marchand found new teammate Sam Bennett out in front for the game-winning goal, sealing a 2-1 victory.
Take a look at the connection here:
WELCOME TO SOUTH FLORIDA 🌴
— NHL (@NHL) March 29, 2025
In his @FlaPanthers debut, Brad Marchand sets up Sam Bennett for the @Energizer overtime winner! pic.twitter.com/vAlCNHaybn
That one has to hurt Bruins fans. The team, of course, traded Marchand—their captain—at the trade deadline after a 16-year run with the club. Though he took it on the chin, the 36-year-old was emotional upon being dealt earlier this month.
Now a sturdy member of the Panthers, however, Marchand helped his team to a win and brings them to 44-25-3 on the season. Florida sits firmly atop the Atlantic division and in third place in the Eastern Conference.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Brad Marchand Sets Up Game-Winning OT Goal in First Game With Florida Panthers.
