“I’m sure a lot of guys probably had ‘Marchy,'” Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers already knew who it was going to be. And sure enough, the Panthers forward Brad Marchand perfectly delivered at 8:05 into the second overtime to score that breakaway goal and seal the 5–4 victory for his team to level the series at 1-1. Of course, coach Paul Maurice was thoroughly impressed.

“For him to control that puck after Leon Draisaitl came, got him on the back check, and got a stick over puck, and still was able to… That’s a set of hands that’s at the top end, right?” Maurice said, referring to Marchand’s game-winning goal. He also confessed how he hadn’t appreciated Marchand’s hands enough until he saw him up close. “…you need to get on the ice with these guys before you get a real sense of what they can do,” he said. That being said, Marchand’s skills with the stick are far from the only thing that the coach had to change his mind about since the ex-Bruins captain joined the Panthers. 

While discussing what he thought about Brad Marchand as a person before getting to know him better, Maurice admitted that he wasn’t exactly a fan. “The personality part, you know, there was a little bit of Matthew Tkachuk in there,” he said. “I’m in Winnipeg, he’s in Calgary. I’m not a big Matthew Tkachuk fan. I understand the fans don’t like those guys,” he began while speaking to the media on Sunday. “We’re here, we had the two heaviest series that I’ve ever been a part of for the two Boston series last year. I mean, they’re nasty,” he added. But now that he has had the opportunity to know ‘the Rat’ better, he cannot help but praise his attitude. “He’s in a great mood every day. And it starts at breakfast from the time he walks in, right? And that’s just who he is. He’s a very upbeat, positive, caring person,” he added. And guess what? The Panthers’ GM, Bill Zito, thinks along similar lines.

“Getting to know him a little bit more (as) a human, he’s more special than I could have imagined on that front,” Zito stated while talking about the ex-Bruin captain who is soon going to hit the open market in the NHL. “As a teammate and as a character human. From that standpoint, it’s like frosting on the cake,” Zito further expressed.

But here’s another interesting part. Turns out that Brad Marchand’s 2OT magic might have come with extra sprinkles! Sam Bennett, in a post-game interview, revealed the secret that led Marchand to create wonders on ice. “I think Marchy grabbed a Blizzard,” Bennett replied, and Brad Marchand didn’t wait but jokingly added, “Yeah, Oreo today.” Marchand was spotted snacking between periods earlier in the playoffs. And while he had confused quite a few people by claiming it was a chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard from DQ, he later came clean, admitting that it was honey.

Whether it’s the sugar rush or just vintage Marchand timing, Brad Marchand is doing things right both on and off the ice, and Matthew Tkachuk, too, couldn’t deny it.

Matthew Tkachuk is all praises for Brad Marchand

Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand had always been the best of enemies. However, ever since Marchand’s arrival in Florida, the dynamics have changed. Of course, they had to, but it is still ironic seeing Tkachuk sing praises for the Canadian. “It’s been unreal having him in. And he’s got what everybody wants in this league, and that’s that winning pedigree and being a champion and having that experience,” Matthew Tkachuk said last month.

Naturally, the praise continued after Marchand scored two goals in Game 2 of the finals to help Florida level the series. “You see it tonight, two breakaway goals, just seeing a play, seeing it go to a player, and he’s gone and gets an unbelievable chance. I saw that a ton from him in Boston, and it’s waaaaay better seeing it here,” Tkachuk told The Athletic.

Well, things could have been much different for Florida had Brad Marchand not turned up at the right time. In Game 3 of Round 2, it was his overtime goal against the Leafs that helped the Panthers come back from a 2-0 series deficit. And the Canadian followed it up with a clutch 3-point performance in the winner-takes-all Game 7 of the series. Marchand will return to action on Monday at the Amerant Bank Arena. Do you think he’ll be able to capitalize on the momentum from Game 2? Let us know in the comments.