Brad Marchand’s homecoming to TD Garden was everything but ordinary. The longtime Bruins captain turned Florida Panther registered two assists — including a key setup late in the third period — to help lift the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers past the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winning goal with just 27 seconds remaining, capping off a dramatic finish in a game that saw Boston erase a two-goal deficit before falling short.
Marchand, traded to Florida at last season’s deadline and now a two-time Stanley Cup champion, received multiple standing ovations in his return. He was the last player to leave the ice after warmups and was visibly emotional when the TD Garden scoreboard played a tribute video chronicling his 15 years in black and gold. The crowd roared as Marchand waved, tapped his heart, and wiped away tears — a poignant moment for the last remaining member of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup team.
Florida jumped out to an early lead when Marchand drew a tripping penalty just 33 seconds into the game. On the ensuing power play, Mackie Samoskevich jammed home a loose puck in the crease, with Marchand creating havoc in front of Jeremy Swayman. A.J. Greer extended the Panthers’ lead to 2-0 midway through the second period.
The Bruins stormed back in the third. Pavel Zacha cut the deficit to one, and Elias Lindholm tied it at 2-2, sending the Boston crowd into a frenzy. But Marchand silenced them again — at least briefly. Gliding through the neutral zone, he flipped a perfect lead pass to Eetu Luostarinen, who beat Swayman on a breakaway to restore Florida’s lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Boston refused to fold. With Swayman pulled for an extra attacker, Morgan Geekie buried the equalizer with 1:31 left, knotting the game at 3-3. But just when it looked like overtime was imminent, Verhaeghe took a feed from Matthew Tkachuk and buried a wrister past Swayman with 27 seconds to go — sending the Panthers bench into a frenzy and snapping Florida’s four-game losing streak.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for the Panthers, while Swayman made 19 saves for the Bruins, who have now dropped five straight after opening Marco Sturm’s tenure behind the bench with three consecutive wins.
For Marchand, though, the night was about more than the scoreboard. “This city means everything to me,” he said postgame. “It’s where I grew up as a player and as a person. To come back here and feel that love — it’s something I’ll never forget.”
Florida Panthers: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night. Boston Bruins: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
