Greg Wyshynskijun 14, 2025, 11:10pm
Closegreg Wyshynski is a senior NHL writer at ESPN.
EDMONTON, Alberta – Brad Merchand didn’t just lead the Florida Panthers within one victory that lifted the Stanley Cup in Game 5 Heroic on Saturday night. He made history for the NHL playoffs.
Merchand became the first player to score at least five goals in two independent Stanley Cup Final Series with two different teams. He scored five goals in seven games for the Boston Bruins in his 2011 Stanley Cup Championship victory at the Vancouver Canucks. His two key goals in the Panthers’ 5-2 victory in Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers gave six goals in five games this Stanley Cup final.
What do you think of 2025 Brad Marchand doing this at the age of 37?
“Man, that guy looks good. That’s probably it,” he said with a laugh after the match. “Sometimes you get bounces, but sometimes you don’t. But I’m definitely grateful that there’s another opportunity to get into the final and be part of a really good team.”
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Merchand currently has 10 goals and 10 assists in 22 playoff games for the Panthers.
He made even more history with the Panthers Game 5 victory. He is the seventh player in NHL history to score more than five goals in multiple Stanley Cup finals, and the Hall of Fame Mariorey Miu (1991, ’92) is the last one to achieve the feat. His six goals are the most goals in the Stanley Cup final for players over 35 since Esatickanen alongside the Oilers in 1988. His five goals on the road were the most in the Stanley Cup final since Vancouver billionaire Jack Adams scored six points in 1922.
“He’s amazing. He was our leader. He’s scored a big goal for us. Tonight he created a hell of effort himself,” Florida goalkeeper Sergey Bovrovsky said.
Marchand scored with a great personal effort at 9:12 in the first period, enclosing a loose puck, protecting it from Edmonton defender Matthias Ekholm, and firing past Calvin Picard, who started Stuart Skinner in Game 5.
Sam Bennett scored the 15th playoff goal late in the first term to make it 2-0. Linemate Eetu Luostarinen thrusts the puck into Markand, who moved to ice before pushing Pickard’s five holes in a 3-0 lead.
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Bennett was left surprised by his second Merchand goal.
“I mean, both are incredible, but I don’t know what that second one, how he did,” Bennett said. “We have to watch that clip a few times and ask him to tell us something.”
Florida manager Paul Maurice said he knew that Merchand was skilled before the Panthers acquired him from the Bruins at the NHL trade deadline in March. However, until he rode the ice with him, Maurice didn’t realize how great Merchand was in the “small area things” he does, like his two goals in Game 5.
“What he can do under obsessiveness in a small area is world class, and that’s as good as I’ve seen,” Maurice said.
The Panthers are now one win away from back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships, bouncing off Game 4 overtime losses on home ice that evenly made the series 2-2. Again, it’s Merchand who has led the path every time the Panthers stumble. The veteran winger has scored points in all games after Florida’s defeat, with seven goals and four assists in those games. He also has overtime goals to win in two games after loss, including Game 2 of this series.
“I said that many times, we just enjoy the moment,” said Merchand. “It’s a special time, a special memory we’ll have forever… I’m not really nervous, I’m just excited.”
The Panthers remained one of the most successful road teams in NHL playoff history, with dominant and choking efforts against the Oilers. Florida built a 3-0 lead with relentless ranch in three Edmonton power plays, a big penalty murder and a strong 19-card effort at Bobrovsky. The Oilers went scoreless at the first 47:24 of the game, with a chance to control the series on home ice.
The Panthers, who previously blew a multi-goal lead in the series, were poised as the Oilers cut their deficit twice to two goals with scores from Conor McDavid and Corey Perry. However, Sam Reinhardt and Luostalinen each scored, giving Florida the three-goal advantage.
The Panthers were 10-3 on the road, setting a record for a single playoff year held by six other teams, five of whom won the Stanley Cup. To break the record, the Panthers will need to return to Edmonton for Game 7.
They would rather not have a chance.
“The more you are in this situation, the more comfortable you will be. We stay in all postseasons very well,” Reinhart said.
Florida will have the opportunity to close the Oilers for the Stanley Cup at home on Tuesday night, but that wasn’t a guarantee for the Panthers. They failed to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the second round series, and needed a seventh game to beat the Leaf. They also lost a closeout game against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals, not to mention the loss of three elimination games that they struggled against the Oilers in last season’s Stanley Cup final.
Ryan Nugent Hopkins said the Oilers are ready to reunite.
“We’re not going to quit each other,” he said. “We’re going to Florida with the work we should do. We’ll do everything we can to do that.”
Bennett said the Panthers have grown since nearly wasting the championship a year ago.
“It’s very difficult. It’s a moment when you think about your whole life and it’s behind your head. I think we can learn from that experience from last year,” he said. “I think we’ve already looked ahead before we were ready to do the job to get the job done. We know what we have to do now.”
