Panthers HC Paul Maurice gushes over 'beauty' Brad Marchand following Game 2 double OT winner against Oilers

Brad Marchand helped the Florida Panthers tie the 2025 Stanley Cup Final with a 5-4 double overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. Marchand scored the winning goal, his second of the game, in the second overtime period.

The forward broke away and slid the puck under Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner's pad. Marchand had already scored earlier in the game on a short-handed breakaway.

After the game, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had high praise for Marchand.

"Truly, he’s a unique human," Maurice said, according to NHL insider Chris Johnston. "In the northern parlance, he’s a beauty."

Marchand joined the Panthers in a surprising trade with the Boston Bruins at the deadline in March. He had been a longtime Bruins player and had faced Florida in previous playoffs.

"Brad's an honest man," Maurice said, according to Burnaby Now. "He loves the game. He loves the people around him. He's very open, very gregarious. He (was) completely accepted.

"An incredibly positive human being. He's up and down our bench all the time just pumping tires, stays in the fight. He is going to be the same way at breakfast (Saturday) morning. He's just going to be jacked, high-fiving everybody at the table."

Since joining the Panthers, he has fit in well and become a key player in their playoff run. He has scored three goals in the first two games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals series.

Matthew Tkachuk said many players had predicted Brad Marchand's OT goal

When the Oilers tied the game with under 20 seconds left in regulation, Florida could have folded. But instead, the Panthers stayed upbeat. Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk shared that players joked around in the locker room.

“We were upbeat, joking around, having some fun, picking guys who we think was going to score,” Tkachuk told reporters. “I’m sure a lot of guys probably had Marchy.”

Brad Marchand wasn't there for it. He was riding a bike in the hallway to keep his legs fresh.

In the second overtime, Marchand scored and secured the win. The goal was his fifth career playoff overtime winner. He now has 10 career goals in the Stanley Cup Final, the most among active players.

Despite being 37 and in his 16th season, Marchand continues to play at a high level. He now has seven goals and 17 points in this playoff run. The Panthers will head back to Florida with the series tied 1-1.