Edmonton, Alberta – Brad Marchand scored the final two goals for the Florida Panthers—both on breakaways—in a thrilling 5-4 double-overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday night. With the win, the series is now tied 1-1.
After the game, Marchand joked about his mindset during those big moments:
“The only thing I was thinking was not to lose the puck. I’ve done that before—it’s not fun.”The Panthers, who are the defending champions, pulled off a chaotic but exciting victory. Marchand made history by becoming the first player in Stanley Cup Final history to score both a short-handed goal in regulation and an overtime winner in the same game.
“He just knows how to deliver,” said Florida defenseman Nate Schmidt. “Pressure never seems to bother him.”
Marchand’s short-handed goal came in the second period, just 3 minutes and 46 seconds after Dmitry Kulikov had tied the game at 3. Anton Lundell spotted Marchand behind the Oilers’ defense and sent a perfect pass. Marchand finished the play with a clean shot past goalie Stuart Skinner for his sixth goal of the playoffs.
Interestingly, this goal came exactly 14 years after Marchand scored another short-handed goal in the 2011 Final for the Boston Bruins—against Roberto Luongo, who is now working in Florida’s front office. After the game, Luongo praised Marchand on social media, calling him his “favorite player of all time.”
That 4-3 lead held until Corey Perry of the Oilers tied the game with just 18 seconds left in regulation, sending the match to overtime for the second straight game. It marked only the sixth time in NHL history that the first two games of the Final needed overtime.
But despite losing their lead late, the Panthers stayed relaxed and positive in the locker room.
“We came in laughing, joking, just enjoying it,” said winger Matthew Tkachuk. “We were guessing who might score next. I think a lot of us picked Marchy.”
Marchand delivered again. At 8:05 in the second overtime, Lundell found him with another pass. Although the Oilers’ defense caught up to him, Marchand kept control and managed to sneak the puck past Skinner to end the game.
“I think the goalie’s timing was thrown off a bit because [Evan] Bouchard gave me a little slash,” Marchand said. “I’m not even sure exactly what happened, but luckily, the puck went in.”
This was Brad Marchand’s fifth career overtime goal in the playoffs, which ties him for the third-most in NHL playoff history. With 63 total playoff goals, he’s now fourth among all active players—only Alex Ovechkin (77), Sidney Crosby (71), and Evgeni Malkin (67) have more.
“His ability to read the game and react is incredible,” said teammate Matthew Tkachuk. “You saw it clearly tonight—he spotted the opportunity and took off. I saw him do that many times in Boston, but it’s even better watching it happen on our side now.”
Game 2 began with an explosive and chaotic first period. Both teams scored a combined five goals in just 12 minutes and 37 seconds—making it the third-fastest start to a Stanley Cup Final game in terms of reaching five total goals. Only two other games were faster: Game 4 between Pittsburgh and Chicago in 1992 (10:13) and a 1973 game between Montreal and Chicago (12:07).
“It was wild,” said Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt. “Lots of power plays, lots of 4-on-4 action.”
Florida got the first goal of the night at 2:07, thanks to a power-play strike from Sam Bennett, set up by Schmidt. Edmonton answered back quickly with two goals in just 1 minute and 40 seconds—Evander Kanescored first, followed by Evan Bouchard, who capitalized on a loose puck to notch his seventh playoff goal of the year.
Florida tied things up again after a beautiful sequence of passes between Schmidt, Eetu Luostarinen, and Seth Jones, who finished the play for his fourth goal of the postseason.
Edmonton took the lead again after a controversial goalie interference call against Sam Bennett. He ended up on top of Oilers’ goalie Stuart Skinner, but replays showed that defenseman Mattias Ekholm had pushed him, and it looked like Bennett tripped over Skinner’s leg. Bennett has a history of falling near the net — like in Game 1 — but he said he didn’t agree with this call.
On the resulting power play, Connor McDavid showed his skill by beating two defenders and setting up Leon Draisaitl for a goal that put the Oilers ahead. Later, Dmitry Kulikov tied the game 3-3 with a shot that deflected off Evan Bouchard. Brad Marchand gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead with a short-handed goal.
The Oilers tied it 4-4 in the final seconds of the third period, when Corey Perry scored after a deflection. Despite the late goal, the Panthers remained calm. Marchand said the team stayed focused and didn’t panic. Coach Paul Maurice also praised the team’s attitude, saying they didn’t blame anyone and kept their composure.
In overtime, both teams had chances to win. Marchand and Sam Reinhart missed breakaways, and Sergei Bobrovsky made key saves — 42 in total. Marchand’s leadership and experience stood out, and Matthew Tkachuk praised his performance.
Game 3 will be in Sunrise, Florida on Monday.
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