RECAP: Panthers 2, Utah HC 1 (OT)

SUNRISE, Fla. – Brad Marchand used to be seen as a villain in South Florida.

Now, he’s having fun playing the role of hero.

Making his long-awaited debut after being acquired from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline, the veteran forward assisted on Sam Bennett’s goal at 4:18 of overtime to lift the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday.

With the win, the Panthers moved back into first place in the Atlantic Division at 44-25-3.

“Being cheered by Panthers fans was a lot different, but it’s a great feeling,” said Marchand, who’d only ever previously played for Boston. “It’s not often you get to be part of a group like this. I’ve been on a lot of teams throughout the years, and you know when you have something special. You know when you walk into a special room, and that’s what they have here, you want to be a part of. There’s not many teams that are legit contenders each year. When you walk in the room, the way they walk about the game, the way they talk about working and competing, there’s a reason why they’re as good as they are.”

The first period came and went without either team breaking the ice.

The biggest cheer in the fairly quiet opening 20 minutes was for Kevin Stenlund.

A key member of last year’s Stanley Cup-winning squad, Stenlund, who joined Utah as a free agent this past summer, received a warm reception in his first game back in Sunrise.

"He was a big piece of our group last year and a big reason why we won," defenseman Gustav Forsling said of his former teammate.

Coming out very hot to start the second period, Bennett drew first blood for the Panthers when he tapped in a pass from Aleksander Barkov on the power play to make it 1-0 at 2:28.

“He’s been very good,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Bennett.

Tallying the secondary assist on the goal, Mackie Samoskevich stayed hot.

Since Jan. 1, the 22-year-old is tied for ninth among NHL rookies with 15 points.

Doing a good job of keeping Utah from generating much of anything in the second period, the Panthers surrendered just four shot attempts at 5-on-5. Coming up in the clutch in the final minute of the period, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped Barrett Hayton on a point-blank shot.

Per NaturalStatTrick.com, that was the first high-danger shot Florida allowed in the game.

With play at 4-on-4 early in the third period, Utah got on the board when Sean Durzi took a pass from Hayton on a 2-on-1 rush and beat Bobrovsky with a laser to make it 1-1 at 1:55.

Threatening late in regulation, Utah earned a power play with 3:23 left on the clock.

Digging in, the Panthers blocked two shots and didn’t allow the puck to get to their net.

On fire for a month, they boast the best penalty kill in the NHL in March at 89.7%.

“I think our penalty kill was really good, and it has been for a while,” Maurice said.

After securing one crucial point, the Panthers didn’t want to leave a second on the table.

With less than a minute left in overtime, Marchand patiently waited behind Utah’s net before sending a pass to Bennett, who then beat Vejmelka with a backhand shot from the slot to lock in the 2-1 win and bring yet another raucous crowd in Sunrise to its feet.

Preparing to make another deep playoff run, everything seems to be coming together for the Cats.

“It’s trending in the right direction,” Bennett said when asked about how things are shaping up for the homestretch. “There’s still some things we can improve on a little bit, but I think we’re trending in the right direction to peak at the right time. All we’re doing right now is just trying to play the right way and prepare for the playoffs. That’s our goal every game.”

THEY SAID IT

“It’s just nice to get out there and feel like you’re part of it. It’s tough watching in a position like this. Great to be out there with them again.” – Brad Marchand on returning from injury and making his Panthers debut

“Good. He makes a lot of small-area plays in traffic and corners that are really hard to do. His hands are fantastic.” – Paul Maurice on Brad Marchand’s first game as a Panther

“He’s a winner, so he knows what it takes to win.” – Sergei Bobrovsky on Brad Marchand’s contributions to the Panthers

CATS STATS

- The Panthers have won seven straight games at home.

- Sam Bennett has scored three goals in his last three games.

- Paul Maurice recorded his 913th career win and now sits one back of tying Barry Trotz (914) for the third-most in NHL history.

- Brad Marchand is the second player in franchise history to record a point in overtime in their Panthers debut.

- Anton Lundell went 7-for-10 (70%) in the faceoff circle.

- Nate Schmidt blocked a team-high three shots.

- Niko Mikkola recorded a team-high seven hits.

WHAT’S NEXT?

SoFlorida Weekend is just getting started!

Wrapping up their three-game homestand, the Panthers will return to the ice to host the Montreal Canadiens for a matinee matchup at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

For tickets, click HERE.