EDMONTON, Alberta — At 37, Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand might not only be getting better with age in the 14 years since winning his first and only Stanley Cup title. Some might even suggest he's still got his looks, too, as Marchand joked on Saturday night.
''Man, that guy's good looking,'' Marchand said with a laugh when asked what the 23-year-old version of himself might have to say in reflecting back to winning the Cup in his second NHL season with the Boston Bruins in 2011.
Looks aside, what's definitely not changed is Marchand's scoring touch, which has placed him in elite company in Stanley Cup Final lore.
The former Bruins captain acquired by Florida at the NHL trade deadline in March, scored twice, including being credited with the winner, in a 5-2 victory over Edmonton to give the Panthers a 3-2 edge in their Cup final series. The series shifts to Florida on Tuesday night.
''Like I've said plenty of times, trying to enjoy the moment. It's a pretty special group to be a part of, and I'm having a lot of fun,'' said Marchand, who has scored 10 times this postseason, six in the final. ''It's just how it plays out sometimes. Sometimes you get bounces. Sometimes you don't.''
Lucky bounces had little to do with Marchand's goals on Saturday night, with both coming with him putting his head down, out-muscling defenders and driving to the net.
Marchand opened the scoring 9:12 in by pouncing on a loose puck off a center-ice faceoff, pushing past defender Mattias Ekholm and sneaking the puck through the legs of goalie Calvin Pickard.
Marchand then made it 3-0 some five minutes into the third period by driving up the left wing, jumping by Jake Walman, and backhanding a shot under Pickard for what stood as the decisive goal.
