Brad Marchand
(Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Brad Marchand scores first goal in eighth game with Florida
  • Marchand scored 21 goals this season for the Bruins
  • Read below for more on Marchand and the Panthers

Brad Marchand is officially in the goal column for the Florida Panthers.

After picking up two assists in his first seven games, Marchand scored his first goal as a member of the Panthers on Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings.

Marchand received a great pass in the slot from Uvis Balinskis and made a slick move to beat Cam Talbot for the goal.

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The Panthers traded for Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins at the NHL trade deadline last month on March 7. He was injured at the time but returned to make his Panthers debut on March 28.

Marchand spent the first 15-plus seasons of his career as a member of the Boston Bruins. He scored 422 goals and added 554 assists for 976 points in 1,090 games with the Bruins, but has now joined the other side of the Atlantic Division rivalry.

The former Bruin scored 19 goals and had 47 points in 53 games against the Panthers during his time in Boston. It may have felt a bit weird for Panthers fans to be cheering for a long-time rival, but they can probably get used to Marchand in Florida if he’s able to put away goals like those.

Marchand was named the first star of the game for the Panthers in a 4-1 home win over the Detroit Red Wings. Florida is still fighting for playoff seeding in the final weeks of the season with just three games remaining.

After the Panthers’ win over the Red Wings, Florida has 96 points in 79 games while the Tampa Bay Lightning have 97 points in 78 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs lead the division with 100 points in 78 games, but there is still home-ice advantage to play for in the Sunshine State.