Brad Marchand broke a third-period tie with a pinpoint wrist shot, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers edged the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Thursday night, spoiling Rick Tocchet’s debut as Flyers head coach.
Marchand delivered the game-winner just 2:19 into the final period, firing from the left boards past Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar and into the top right corner. The veteran winger nearly added another goal late in the game but lifted a wrister over the crossbar on a breakaway with six and a half minutes remaining.
The victory gave Florida its second straight home win to start the season, following a 3-2 opening-night triumph over Chicago on Tuesday.
Anton Lundell opened the scoring for the injury-depleted Panthers at 5:29 of the second period, taking advantage of a power play and snapping a wrist shot past Vladar off a quick transition. The Flyers responded with 2:12 left in the frame when Noah Cates found a loose puck in front and chipped it over Sergei Bobrovsky to even the game at 1-1.
Bobrovsky was sharp throughout, stopping 19 of 20 shots to secure the win, while Vladar turned aside 32 for the Flyers in a strong performance of his own.
The Panthers are navigating early-season adversity, missing captain Aleksander Barkov for the entire regular season due to two torn knee ligaments, while star winger Matthew Tkachuk is sidelined until at least December with a groin injury.
For Tocchet, Thursday marked a return to the Flyers organization where he once starred as a player. The 60-year-old coach joined Philadelphia this offseason after successful stints behind the bench in Tampa Bay, Arizona, and most recently Vancouver, and he owns two Stanley Cup rings from his time as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh.
Florida improved to 2-0-0, while Philadelphia dropped to 0-1-0 to open the campaign.
Flyers: At Carolina on Saturday night. Panthers: Host Ottawa on Saturday night.
