The Florida Panthers are one win away from their third straight Stanley Cup Final, and Saturday night’s 6-2 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise was a statement. By the time Brad Marchand flew down the left wing and buried Anton Lundell’s cross-ice pass for the sixth goal, the Panthers had already turned a tight game into a celebration for the third straight time in the Eastern Conference Final. In a game full of highlights, one moment stole the show.

Brad Marchand, caught on camera in the locker room between periods, unapologetically devouring a chocolate chip cookie dough Dairy Queen Blizzard. B/R Open Ice shared the viral clip on X, captioning it, “Brad Marchand was downing a Cookie Dough DQ Blizzard during intermission 😭 Dude really said Blizzards > Hurricanes.” When asked about it, Marchand didn’t miss a beat: “Yeah, that’s a little chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard right there. You can’t beat it. It’s the best dessert in the world, so I better get a lifetime free supply of Dairy Queen.” The audacity. The confidence. The dessert choice. It’s Marchand in a nutshell.

On the ice, the Panthers were relentless. Aleksander Barkov led with two goals and an assist, Jesper Boqvist added a goal and two assists, and Niko Mikkola found the net twice. Evan Rodrigues and Matthew Tkachuk each dished out two assists, while Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall with 23 saves. Marchand’s goal at 10:37 of the third, a 2-on-1 snipe off Lundell’s feed, made it 6-1 and cemented his place among NHL greats. He’s now one of four active players with 10 playoff goals against multiple franchises (13 against Toronto) and 60 career postseason goals, joining Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin.

Florida’s penalty kill shone despite missing key pieces. Sam Reinhart sat out with an injury, and Eetu Luostarinen was ejected after a boarding penalty and game misconduct, yet Carolina’s power play couldn’t capitalize. Now, with a 3-0 series lead, the Panthers can clinch a Final berth Monday night. Will Carolina force a Game 5 in Raleigh, or will Florida keep rolling? One thing’s certain: Marchand’s Blizzard break is the stuff of playoff legend. But this team, the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division, knows the job isn’t done—they’ve seen it all over the past three years, from epic comebacks to heart-wrenching losses in the Final itself.

Brad Marchand’s Impact on the Florida Panthers in the playoffs so far

Brad Marchand, the feisty 37-year-old veteran, is proving age is just a number in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the eighth straight postseason, he’s racked up at least 10 points, a streak unmatched since the legendary Wayne Gretzky. To put that in perspective, even elite performers like Nikita Kucherov (6 times), Connor McDavid (4), Nathan MacKinnon (7), Leon Draisaitl (5), and Sidney Crosby (8) haven’t hit that mark as consistently since Marchand’s debut. Only three NHL greats—Jean Beliveau (11), Mark Messier (14), and Gretzky (14)—have more 10+ point postseasons than Marchand. That’s not rare air for the Panthers’ third-line sparkplug.

In Game 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, Marchand was the hero Florida needed. With the game knotted in overtime, he buried a clutch goal—his 60th career playoff tally—securing a critical win. That marker made him the fourth active player to hit 60 playoff goals, joining Alex Ovechkin (77), Crosby (71), and Evgeni Malkin (67). Impressively, Marchand’s scored 10+ playoff goals against two franchises (13 vs. Toronto, 10 vs. Carolina), a feat only Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin (against three teams) share among active skaters.

But Marchand’s impact goes beyond lighting the lamp. He’s a force on the Panthers’ power play and penalty kill, setting a physical tone that drags his teammates into the fray. His relentless energy and competitive fire ignite the squad, making him the heart of Florida’s playoff push. Whether he’s chirping opponents or delivering in high-stakes moments, Marchand’s proving he’s still one of the NHL’s premier postseason performers. As the Panthers battle deeper into the playoffs, don’t be surprised if their veteran agitator keeps rewriting the record books.

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