If we had a penny every time Brad Marchand came up with a sensational performance to bring his team the win, we’d be rich by now! He’s done it for the Boston Bruins for 16 years, and it seems like even with the Florida Panthers, the 37-year-old’s sharp skills haven’t rusted one bit. “I think this is one of the tightest series I think anyone will ever see,” Marchand said before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals. But does he even know that he only has himself to blame for making the 2025 Finals so thrilling to watch?

It has been quite the joyride for Brad Marchand with the Panthers so far. Before tonight’s game, the Canadian winger had already racked up 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists; four of those goals coming in the Finals), further cementing his reputation as a “big game player“. In Game 3, he broke a half-century-old record, without even breaking into a sweat. And now, Marchand has done it again. This time, pummeling through a milestone set even further back in time.

The Athletic‘s Chris Johnston took to X on June 14 to highlight the latest feather to be added to Brad Marchand’s illustrious cap. “Brad Marchand joins Mario Lemieux as the only players in NHL history to score five goals in multiple Stanley Cup Finals in the last 59 years,” the social media update reveals, and yes, this is your cue to hail the ex-Bruins captain once again, Florida fans.

While Lemieux’s NHL career was abruptly cut short at the age of 40 because of atrial fibrillation, which affected his heart, the former Pittsburgh Penguins centre wasn’t nicknamed the “Magnificent One” for nothing. Surely, a club that Brad Marchand would be delighted to be a member of. Lemieux scored five goals in the 1991 and ’92 Stanley Cup Finals. But then again, the Panthers winger would be inducted into the group in his own right.

Since the expansion era began in the League (from the 1967-68 season), reaching the Finals multiple times has become a rarity for any player, let alone scoring 5 goals in the ultimate NHL best-of-7 series. However, Brad Marchand isn’t your average Joe, who is content with just reaching the final stage. Instead, he seems to be hell bent on making each one as remarkable as he can.

Marchand’s fifth goal of the 2025 postseason was the first time since his Stanley Cup triumph in 2011 with the Bruins that he attained the milestone. But, surely enough, he still had more left in the tank. In the third period, Brad struck again. Picking up the puck at the center of the rink, waltzed past Jake Walman and bamboozled Calvin Pickard to send the puck through the Oilers’ goalie’s legs. And who could miss the statement he made right after scoring the Panthers’ third goal of the night by sweeping Corey Perry off his legs?

Rightfully, the official NHL website dubbed Marchand’s second goal as “perhaps the goal of the year,” while a post on X by Spittin’ Chiclets hailed Brad’s inner Goku after seeing the winger take on half of the Edmonton roster before scoring his second goal of the night in thunderous style! And with that, the Panthers once again made sure that the Oilers’ netminder had a lot to answer for after the match.

Brad Marchand & Co. come back to reignite the goalie debate

The Canadian set the tone early in Game 5. Going inside-out on Mattias Ekholm and beating Pickard to give the Cats the lead, Marchand showed he meant business. But the Edmonton goalie was in for a wild ride. With just 1:54 left in the first period, Sam Bennett extended the lead by scoring his 14th postseason goal for the Panthers. With a lot of commotion around Stuart Skinner’s poor display of netminding skills in the Finals, it was certainly a bad day at the office for Calvin Pickard.

And the day only got worse from that point. After an actionless second period, the Panthers struck again. And again, it was Brad Marchand. Connor McDavid, finally ending his Stanley Cup drought, managed to send one past Sergei Bobrovsky to bring the Oilers some hope. But that faint hope was snuffed out almost immediately as Sam Reinhart‘s shot found Edmonton’s net once again to reinstate the 3-goal lead for Florida.

Corey Perry did his best to help the team fight back, but Eetu Luostarinen‘s late shot into an open Edmonton net (Pickard got pulled with five minutes remaining) was the last nail in the coffin. What a whirlwind of a game! And now, all eyes are on Amerant Bank Arena for Game 6. Who, do you think, will triumph on Tuesday? Share your thoughts below!