Panthers’ Marchand: oldest to score in first three games of Stanley Cup Final 

One of the more seasoned veterans in the NHL has made history.

In Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand broke the ice with his eighth goal of the playoffs less than a minute into the game.

With the tally, Marchand has scored goals in each of the first three games of the final. In doing so at the age of 37, he becomes the oldest player in league history to accomplish the feat.

Marchand breaks the record that was set during the 1973 championship series, when Montreal Canadiens star Frank Mahovlich scored goals in the first three games against the Chicago Black Hawks at the age of 35. “The Big M” went on to register five goals in the series as the Habs won the franchise’s 18th Stanley Cup in six games.

Marchand has been a clutch player since he joined the Panthers this season. Though he played just 10 games with Florida during the regular season after recovering from injury, the former Boston Bruins captain has brought his game up to another level in the playoffs. In the team’s first 20 games of the playoffs, he has scored eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points, including four goals over the first three games of the final.

The Halifax native came up big for the defending Cup champions in Game 2 last Friday night, scoring twice, including the game-winning goal in the second overtime to give the Panthers a 5-4 win to take a split of the first two games in Edmonton.

Marchand’s performance in these playoffs is already one of the best in his entire NHL career. His 18 points are the third-most in any postseason, trailing the 19 points he scored in the 2011 playoffs, which saw him help the Bruins win the Stanley Cup, and the 2019 postseason, where he notched 23 points.