Brad Marchand shines in emotional return as Panthers edge Bruins 4–3 at TD Garden

Brad Marchand’s first game back in Boston had everything: a standing ovation, a frantic third period, and a gut-punch finish for the home team. In a raucous Panthers vs. Bruins showdown on Tuesday night, Florida stole a 4–3 win with 26 seconds left, handing the Boston Bruins a fifth straight loss while snapping the Panthers’ four-game skid. Marchand, now wearing Florida colors, logged two primary assists against the club he captained for two seasons.

Bruins vs. Panthers: the late swing that decided it

Boston rallied from 2–0 down to make it 3–3 with the extra attacker, only to be undone seconds later. Carter Verhaeghe’s sharp-angle try kissed iron, glanced off traffic in front, and trickled in for the winner at 19:33 of the third. It capped a wild final frame that saw five total goals and multiple momentum swings, exactly the kind of chaos these Atlantic rivals have specialized in.

• Florida goals: Mackie Samoskevich, A.J. Greer, Eetu Luostarinen, Carter Verhaeghe (GWG).

• Boston goals: Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm, Morgan Geekie (6-on-5).

• In net: Sergei Bobrovsky steadied Florida with 28 saves, surviving Boston’s late surge.

For the Bruins, the last-minute bounce will sting, not only because they had seized control territorially in the final 10 minutes, but because it overshadowed a third-period push driven by their top playmakers. David Pastrnak and Casey Mittelstadt each collected two assists to spark the comeback bid.

Brad Marchand’s reunion with Boston fans

Before the opening faceoff, TD Garden delivered the expected ovation for Brad Marchand, a franchise pillar for 16 seasons and a 2011 Stanley Cup champion. The tribute was heartfelt; the performance was clinical. Marchand’s edge work and timing still read like Boston hockey, and his chemistry with Florida’s middle six showed in the details: a quick retrieval below the dots, a deft touch-pass into space, a backhand feed that set Luostarinen loose. The night underlined the central storyline: Brad Marchand can change a Panthers vs. Bruins game even when he isn’t the one finishing.

What the Bruins’ loss means right now

The Bruins fall to 3–5–0 and, more importantly, are stuck in a results spiral where small errors carry outsized consequences. The Bruins score line in recent nights has too often been the wrong side of one-goal games. Tuesday offered both a warning and a roadmap:

• Warning: Defensive details in scramble time matter; Boston’s coverage at the weak-side post and net-front boxing were a half-step off on the winner.

• Roadmap: The club still generates quick-strike offense when Pastrnak’s line tilts the ice. The late push, the 6-on-5 equalizer, and Lindholm’s finish all came from layered pressure and inside positioning.

Expected reinforcements on the blue line and more settled special teams could stabilize the next stretch, but execution in the final minutes has to flip fast.

Florida’s takeaways after Bruins vs. Panthers

For the Florida Panthers, the win resets their early-season narrative. The forecheck finally looked synchronized again, with F3 decisions tighter and the defense stepping into lanes to kill cycles. Bobrovsky’s workload management also stood out: controlled rebounds, handled traffic, and no second looks on Boston’s middle-distance shots. If Marchand continues to draw top matchups and still drive primary assists, Florida’s forward depth will have room to breathe.

Key numbers from Bruins–Panthers

• 5: Consecutive losses for Boston, all by narrow margins.

• 2: Primary assists for Marchand in his Boston return.

• 28: Saves for Bobrovsky.

• 5: Third-period goals between both teams, a reminder that this rivalry rarely ends quietly.

What’s next: Bruins game vs. Ducks

The Boston Bruins stay home to face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7:00 p.m. ET. It’s a quick-turn chance to stop the slide before a matinee against Colorado this weekend. Expect rotational tweaks:

• Blue-line minutes likely to be redistributed after the late breakdown.

• The Pastrnak unit should see early offensive-zone starts to impose pace from puck drop.

• Net-front presence on the power play remains a lever; the Ducks concede tips and screens when forced into extended D-zone shifts.

For fans tracking the Bruins score night to night, the Anaheim matchup is less about style points and more about banked points. Sharper exits, cleaner line changes, and net-front urgency should be enough to tilt a low-event game. If the Bruins can carry over the 6-on-5 habits—layered pressure, quick low-to-high puck movement—into five-on-five play, the goals will follow.

Big-picture view of Bruins vs. Panthers

Even in October, Bruins vs. Panthers feels like a postseason preview: tight margins, special-teams brinkmanship, and stars deciding swings on single touches. Boston’s takeaway is simple—close games are coin flips until you stack small advantages. Florida’s is sunnier—get to your forecheck, ride timely goaltending, and let players like Marchand and Verhaeghe handle the punctuation. When these teams meet again, circle it; Tuesday showed there’s very little daylight between them, and the next bounce might ricochet the other way.