Marchand trade paying off for Panthers after 2OT goal wins Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final

EDMONTON -- Rats!

What else could Edmonton Oilers fans say after that?

Some came to Rogers Place on Friday with pictures of Brad Marchand’s face, making him look like a rat with big ears and big teeth. Others came dressed as rat exterminators. One held up a picture of Oilers captain Connor McDavid as the Pied Piper, leading Marchand and the other rats out of town.

And it was Marchand who scored his second breakaway goal of the game at 8:05 of the second overtime, giving the Florida Panthers a 5-4 win in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, tying the best-of-7 series 1-1.

“Pure excitement, adrenaline, for our whole group,” Marchand said. “You know, it’s obviously a very important game for our team, and we all knew we were one shot away, and luckily it went our way.”

How lucky are the Panthers that Marchand was available at the NHL Trade Deadline?

They acquired the veteran forward from the Boston Bruins on March 7, and now he has seven goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, second on Florida behind center Sam Bennett (13). He has three in two games in the Cup Final.

Marchand gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead on the power play at 12:30 of the first period of Game 1, a 4-3 overtime loss.

He gave them a 4-3 lead short-handed at 12:09 of the second period of Game 2. Center Anton Lundell backhanded a deft pass from the Florida zone into the neutral zone, and Marchand broke away and fired the puck between the pads of goalie Stuart Skinner.

It was his second career short-handed goal in the Cup Final, tying the NHL record, and it came 14 years to the day after his first -- for the Bruins against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 in 2011.

The 37-year-old became the second player his age or older to score in each of the first two games of a Cup Final, joining Larry Robinson, who did it for the Montreal Canadiens against the Calgary Flames in 1989.

The game went to overtime when Oilers forward Corey Perry tied it 4-4 with 18 seconds left in regulation, but the Panthers felt confident in the locker room while Marchand did his usual routine, riding the bike, keeping his legs loose.

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

Marchand almost won it 8:38 into the first overtime, when he slipped the puck under Skinner’s pads only to see it hit the left post.

Then came double OT.

Lundell sent a pass from the Florida blue line to the red line, and Marchand broke away again. This time, Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl tried to tie up his stick from behind, and he didn’t have full control of the puck. But somehow he got it to slip underneath Skinner.

“I think our whole bench stood up when he had a breakaway there,” Bennett said. “It’s just a huge play at a huge time. He’s been incredible for us this whole playoffs, scoring massive goals at massive times. That one was definitely the biggest.”

Marchand scored the fifth overtime playoff goal of his career, tying Perry, teammate Carter Verhaeghe and Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane for the most among active players. Only Joe Sakic (eight) and Maurice Richard (six) have more OT playoff goals in NHL history.

In addition, Marchand became the fourth-oldest player to score an overtime goal in the Cup Final, after Igor Larionov (41 for the Red Wings against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 in 2002), Steve Thomas (39 for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim against the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 in 2003) and Ron Francis (39 for the Hurricanes against the Red Wings in Game 1 in 2002).

He became the second-oldest with a multi-OT goal in the Cup Final; Larionov scored in triple OT in 2002.

“I mean, he could play until he’s 47 the way he’s going,” Tkachuk said. “Unreal player, unreal competitor, and he’s scored, when you think about it, two of our biggest goals in the playoffs so far, so hopefully he can keep it going.”

Marchand’s parents, Kevin and Lynn, went crazy in the stands after the OT goal, his mom yelling. What kind of hockey mom is she?

“She is one that you need to put a muzzle on,” Marchand said with a laugh. “She gets pretty amped up at the games.

“You know, they’ve always been so supportive, like all of our parents. I mean, I don’t think there’s a player in this league that could say that their parents are not the main reason why they’re here, the sacrifices they all make, and when you go on a journey as a team and you get to the (Cup Final) and you’re going on a run, it’s not just for you. It’s for everybody that helped you get here and all your loved ones that are enjoying the moments, whether they’re here or not, so it’s special to have them in the building.

“But hopefully we have a lot of great moments in the future as well.”