Calling Brad Marchand’s season a rollercoaster ride would be an understatement. The Rat King went from being part of the 5th-worst team in the League to signing with the defending champions with barely over a month left till the Stanley Cup playoffs. What’s more? Not only did Marchand fit into his former divisional rival club’s system like a glove, but the 36-year-old has thrived.

So much so that the NHL veteran went from having no chance to make it to the playoffs to scoring potential series-saving goals at the highest level. He became the difference-maker for the Florida Panthers tonight, after neither team could put the other away throughout regulation and then during the first overtime. Marchand found the perfect gap and, in a flash of individual brilliance, slapped home the winner for Florida, that too in front of his parents.

While the entire Florida camp exploded into wild celebration inside Rogers Place, Brad Marchand’s mother stole the spotlight. Lynn Marchand could barely contain herself as her son leveled the playing field in Game 2, “8:05 into overtime number two,” said the announcer. Meanwhile, Lynn Marchand clapped and cheered in excitement beside her husband, Kevin Marchand.

While they don’t broadcast the audio from the stands, you could even make out exactly what she shouted at her son after the game-winning goal. “Way to go, Bradley!” Lynn Marchand screamed at the top of her voice in the heartfelt moment. And she had good reason to be so excited for the Cats’ forward. Not only did his heroics give the Panthers the win, but Marchand scored two goals.

In fact, Marchand nearly gave his team a win with a carbon copy goal in regulation. Brad Marchand gave the Cats the lead with just under 8 minutes left in the third period. That shorthand shot would’ve been the winning goal if it wasn’t for Corey Perry scoring the equalizer in the final minute of the third period. That being said, déjà vu struck more than for the Cats in Game 2.

Brad Marchand scripts history once more

Not only did the game-winning overtime goal look exactly similar to the one he got during regulation, but Marchand has already done this for the Panthers. Remember the game-winning overtime goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2? Brad Marchand once again became the x-factor for the Cats in the game. Not just that, the OT win started a streak of three consecutive wins that gave them the series lead.

What’s more? Brad Marchand’s previous OT winner put in the history books for scoring game-winning goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs’ killer foiled Toronto’s playoff plans for the 5th time with the Game 3 goal. In fact, with the goal, Marchand tied Montreal Canadiens’ Jean Beliveau for the most postseason game-winning goals by a single player against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And if you thought that would be his only unique NHL achievement this postseason, you were wrong. Sportsnet Stats posted that Marchy’s MVP-worthy performance against the Oilers gave him another unique record. “Panthers Brad Marchand is the only player in history to score a shorthanded goal, followed by an Overtime goal in a Final game,” they wrote.

Impressive would be an understatement. Now the question is, can the Panthers capitalize on this momentum? Thankfully, they’ll now be heading back to home ice at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise for Games 3 and 4. This series has already become incredibly intense after just two games, and the Cats may just need more heroics from Marchand to succeed against an Oilers squad out for revenge.