Panthers' Brad Marchand stays grounded despite being extremely close to clinching Stanley Cup Finals spot

Brad Marchand is not getting ahead of himself, even with the Florida Panthers just one win away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final. After their 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 on Saturday, the Panthers are leading the series 3-0 in the best-of-seven series. They are also close to repeating their 2023 playoff sweep against the Hurricanes.

Speaking to the media after the game, Marchand said the team is focused on the next game. He stressed that the players are not thinking about the Final yet. [Start at 1:41]

"You don't think about that," Marchand said. "We're prepared to go seven here. The biggest thing for this group is we're really good at just focusing on what we need to do and staying in the moment. Not looking ahead. You can't start looking ahead—it's a dangerous game to play."

Marchand scored in the third period as he helped push Florida's lead to 6-1. It was his first goal of the series. He had no points in the first two games but still made an impact with hits and physical play.

The Florida Panthers scored five goals in the first 10:37 of the third period. Aleksander Barkov and Niko Mikkola scored twice, and star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves.

Brad Marchand joined the Panthers before the trade deadline in March. The former Bruins captain was traded out of Boston after he failed to agree on a contract extension with the team.

So far in the playoffs, Marchand has scored four goals, 13 points, and a plus-12 rating in 15 games. He also has 28 hits, 10 blocked shots, and 46 penalty minutes.

Now, a win in Game 4 on Monday will send them to the Final for the third straight year.

Brad Marchand is part of Panthers' unique post-game celebration

Brad Marchand has quickly become part of the Florida Panthers’ fun culture after joining from Boston. They have a unique tradition where fans throw plastic rats at the players after winning games. Now, the players shoot the rats at Marchand.

The tradition started in 1996 after Scott Mellanby killed a rat before a game. Marchand is called “The Rat” because of his playing style.

Coach Paul Maurice said players fire the rats at Marchand as hard as they can.

"They're shooting them as hard as they can. They're not flipping them. It's funny as hell," Maurice said.

At 37, Brad Marchand is chasing his second Stanley Cup. Previously he won with the Bruins in 2011.