BOSTON – A lot has changed since Brad Marchand was last in Boston.
In the span of just over seven months, the former Bruins captain has not only added a second Stanley Cup to his glowing resume, but also inked a six-year contract extension to stick around in South Florida.
Once a single-franchise icon, he’s now shared between two rival clubs.
So, as he prepares to take the ice for the first time against his former team when the Panthers close out their road trip at TD Garden on Tuesday, the 37-year-old veteran forward expects a healthy mix of both emotion and excitement in his return.
“I’m excited for this one,” Marchand said during a press conference following practice on Monday. “It’ll be fun to compete against guys that I played with for a long time and be on the other side of it in here. I’m sure it’ll be a pretty intense game. It’ll be fun to play in front of the Bruins fans again. Yeah, I’m excited.”
Going back to March 7, the NHL was brought to a screeching halt when the news broke.
After spending the first 16 seasons of career with the Bruins, Marchand was suddenly dealt to the Panthers in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
With those initial conditions being met as the Panthers powered their way to a second straight Stanley Cup, the draft pick has since been updated to a first-round selection.
A price worth paying, of course.
Teaming up with what he dubbed as "Finnish Phenom" duo of Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen to form a third line in name only for the deep and dangerous Panthers, Marchand registered 20 points (10G, 10A) and a +17 rating in 23 playoff games.
“He’s been himself and vocal and incredibly positive,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Marchand’s major impact on the Panthers. “Even when things aren’t going right, he’s the guy trying to fix it and he’s the guy talking about it. He’s been a great leader for us.”
Added Lundell: “It’s hard to know a guy before you play with him. You just see how he is on the ice. He’ always been very competitive, battles hard, plays on the edge. It’s been a huge learning thing for me. He’s a top-class guy, on and off the ice. He wants to make himself better every single day, and he also pushes everyone to be the best version of themselves.”
For 1,090 regular-season and 157 playoff games, that’s the Marchand fans knew in Boston.
As it stands now, he still ranks fifth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 976 points (422G, 554A).
Even though he’s now in a different jersey, it's safe to assume that Bruins fans won’t hold it against him.
For this one game, Marchand will bring the Panthers and Bruins together.
Well, at least for a few minutes.
“They won’t be able to cheer because I know they don’t like the Panthers very much, but maybe they’ll like me enough to give me a little ‘yay’ out there,” Marchand smiled.
Sitting at 3-4-0, the Panthers will drop the puck in Boston tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The game will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN.
PLAYING WITH POWER
After going 0-for-7 with the extra attacker in Tuesday’s loss at Buffalo, the Panthers spent the majority of Monday’s practice working with some new-look units on the power play.
The first unit featured Lundell, Marchand, Seth Jones, Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Reinhart, while the second unit consisted of Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe and Eetu Luostarinen.
Against the Sabres, they came up empty despite 15 shots on goal on the power play.
“We put 15 shots on goal,” Maurice said. “Maybe a little better net front, but you don’t get too many nights where you get 15 on goal because you still miss the net on a bunch and have a bunch blocked. That part was right. I thought our pace was right, our speed was right. I just want to try some different people. Maybe they can get it off a little quicker.”
Since scoring four power-play goals in their first three games, the Panthers have suddenly stopped being rewarded for their efforts, netting zero power-play goals in their last four contests.
Ebbs and flows.
“It goes in stretches,” Lundell said. “Sometimes, it just doesn’t go in, but we don’t quit. We want to be better. For myself, just trying to be my best. I know I have a lot to give. Just believe in the process and go day by day. Tomorrow, we have a new opportunity to be good.”
A tough test to get back on track, the Bruins currently have the sixth-best penalty kill in the league at 90%.
MIKKOLA READY TO GO
For once, the Panthers have avoided an injury.
With several key players already on injured reserve, the defending Stanley Cup champions breathed a sigh of relief on Monday as Niko Mikkola took the ice for practice at TD Garden.
In Saturday’s loss at Buffalo, the second-pair defenseman left the game in the second period after getting knotted up with Sabres forward Tyson Kozak and slamming into the ice.
Thankfully, he’ll be back in the lineup against the Bruins on Tuesday.
"We’re careful about all kinds of injuries,” Maurice said. “Good to have him back. He plays hard every night and always has an ice bag on something. He was fine the next day."
A literal big presence on the blue line, Mikkola, who measures up at 6-foot-6 and 204 pounds, has blocked eight shots while averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game this season.
In 2024-25, the towering Finn set new career highs in goals (6), assists (16) and points (22).
“Obviously, we’re happy to see him feeling good and that it’s nothing bigger,” Lundell said.
BOB IN THE ZONE
“Playoff Bob” hasn’t skipped a beat in the early goings of 2025-26.
With his patented postseason excellence carrying over into a new season after backstopping the Panthers to a second straight Stanley Cup, Sergei Bobrovsky has looked like his usual brick-wall-impersonating self through his first five appearances.
Surrendering two or fewer goals in four of his five starts, the 37-year-old veteran currently boasts a 3-2-0 record with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Among NHL goaltenders with at least three appearances, he owns the fifth-best save percentage.
Per MoneyPuck.com, Bobrovsky has saved 1.6 goals above expected.
MONDAY’S PRACTICE LINES
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Luke Kunin – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
Extras: Noah Gregor, Cole Schwindt, Tobias Bjornfot
