Brad Marchand scores twice in return to lineup as Panthers beat Wild in overtime
Brad Marchand is back.
And he wasted little time making an impact.
The veteran winger scored twice — including the game-winner three minutes into overtime — in his return to the Florida Panthers’ lineup to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night at Grand Casino Arena after missing the previous seven games with an undisclosed injury.
Marchand’s game-winning goal came on a two-on-one rush with Carter Verhaeghe.
Florida is 27-20-3 on the season. Minnesota falls to 29-14-10.
“Just excited to be back out here with the guys,” Marchand said during an intermission interview with Scripps Sports’ Katie Engleson. “It’s hard when you have to sit out and can’t be part of it, but it felt great to get out there again.”
Marchand last played on Jan. 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a game in which he was removed prior to the third period for what coach Paul Maurice initially said was precautionary but then kept him out for nearly two-and-a-half weeks.
Marchand practiced in a full-contact sweater on Wednesday before the team embarked on this three-game road trip that started with a 2-1 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday and ends Sunday at the Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m., Scripps Sports). He did not play against Winnipeg, but Maurice said — similar to his messaging as of late — that Marchand was getting closer to a return.
That return is now here.
The 37-year-old Marchand played on a line with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell — the two he primarily played with during Florida’s run to its second consecutive Stanley Cup last season.
“I told them I’m not coming back if I don’t get to play with those guys,” Marchand said with a smile. “I missed them. ... We just have that instant chemistry from the get-go. We just feel so comfortable out there with one another.”
It took him one period to assert his might, scoring a power-play goal with 1:40 left in the opening period, with his backhanded shot from the slot getting past Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson. That goal put Florida up 2-1
Marchand then had a secondary assist on Sam Bennett’s power-play goal with 6:49 left in regulation to tie the game at 3-3 to force overtime before he sealed the game with his 25th goal of the season.
It was Marchand’s fourth multi-goal game of the season and third game with at least three points.
Marchand is tied with Sam Reinhart for the team leads in goals (25), assists (24) and points. Reinhart had a goal and assist in the win. Matthew Tkachuk and Verhaeghe each had two assists.
Marchand’s return is the second major boost to Florida’s forward group this week, as Tkachuk made his season debut on Monday after missing the Panthers’ first 47 games while recovering from offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia. Florida is still without captain and top-line center Aleksander Barkov, fourth-line forwards Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich, and defensemen Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov.
This story was originally published January 24, 2026 at 8:53 PM.
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