Saturday eveningâs matchup between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena was a wild, instant classic for fans in attendance, and as he has so many times throughout his career, Brad Marchand played a pivotal role in the victory.
Marchand scored a goal while adding three assists as part of the Panthers‘ 7-6 victory over the Blue Jackets in overtime, which included setting up the game-winning tally from Sam Bennett in the extra session.
With the Panthers trailing 6-4 early in the third period, Marchand netted his 16th goal of the season to bring his club back to within a goal. He also assisted on both of Carter Verhaeghe’s second period tallies.
And as he’s done so often to the opposition throughout his National Hockey League career, Marchand managed to get under the skin of Columbus during a critical time in the game.
During a 30-second timeout by the Blue Jackets in overtime, Marchand skated over to the Columbus bench while they were drawing up a play, inviting the ire of both Adam Fantilli and Zach Werenski.
With the win, the Panthers, who have been extremely inconsistent this season, improved their record to 13-12-2.
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The Panthers Defeated The Blue Jackets 7-6 In Overtime
It was a wild back-and-forth affair for the Panthers and Blue Jackets in Sunrise on Saturday night. Both teams tallied in the first period, but it was the game’s middle frame where things began to get crazy.
There were seven total goals scored, starting with three straight by the Blue Jackets courtesy of Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko and Miles Wood. The Panthers would counter with three straight goals of their own, two of which were from Verhaeghe followed by a tally from defenseman Seth Jones.
But the Blue Jackets re-took the lead thanks to Cole Sillinger, who struck late in the period. They then took a 6-4 lead early in the third after the first goal of the season from Isac Lundestrom, only to watch the Panthers mount a comeback effort thanks to goals from Marchand and Anton Lundell.
In overtime, it was 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett who secured the extra point for the host Panthers after taking a feed from Marchand:
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Brad Marchand Is Having A Fantastic Season For The Panthers
Marchand, who had previously spent his entire career with the Boston Bruins, was acquired by the Panthers last season at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. The move was ironic, considering that Marchand and the Bruins had been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Panthers in each of the two previous campaigns.
Marchand would go on to become one of Florida’s most important players in what was ultimately a successful quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, which included six goals in the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.
Rather than enter unrestricted free agency, Marchand decided to stick around with the Panthers by signing a six-year, $31.5 million contract.
So far this season, Marchand has scored 16 goals in 26 games, and is on pace for what would be a career-high 47 goals. His previous career-high was 39 goals scored with Boston in the 2016-17 season.
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