The Florida Panthers are not new to the intimidation tactics of the NHL players of yore. No, in fact they are re-writing them into today’s times. The post Matthew Tkachuk era for Florida, dating back to 2022 has seen the rise of a team that is a force of nature when it comes to intimidating their opponents, and their new acquisition from the Boston Bruins, Brad Marchand, fits perfectly into this culture.

Brad Marchand began the round 3 series by being handed out a misdemeanor for taking Carolina’s Shayne Gostisbehere to the ground after he purposefully swung a puck at him. In game 2, Gostisbehere made the mistake of skiing in front of Marchand, who then cross checked him causing him to fall to the ground. Marchand claims that there was no ill will here, and he didn’t even know who the player was till he fell to the ground, but the on-ice tactics tell a different story.

In the same game, Carolina’s Sebastian Aho checked Sam Reinhart causing him to have to walk out of the game with a lower body injury. Then came game 3 and just after Brad Marchand scored the fourth goal for Florida, Matthew Tkachuk checked Aho and pummeled him to the ground. Tkachuk might not have been great for scoring goals this off season, but his aggressor tactics are working like magic! All this is to say, that things are getting heated, and with Carolina facing elimination in game 4, they might have to resort to better intimidation tactics. However, when asked about this possibility in a recent post game interview, Brad Marchand didn’t seem too phased.

Why the Carolina Hurricanes Have Not Done Well in the Eastern Conference Final and Not Just When It Comes to Facing Off Brad Marchand!