Sunrise, FL – Brad Marchand's third-period heroics propelled the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. The win, which took place on October 9, 2025, extends the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions' home-ice winning streak to start the season to two games. The Flyers, meanwhile, were handed a loss in what was the coaching debut of Rick Tocchet.
The first period saw neither team find the back of the net, although the Panthers applied significant pressure, challenging Flyers' goalie Dan Vladar with 13 shots. Vladar, making his debut for Philadelphia, stood tall and kept the game scoreless through the first 20 minutes.
Florida finally broke the deadlock at 5:29 of the second period on a power-play goal by Anton Lundell. Lundell converted a centering pass from Evan Rodrigues, beating Vladar on his stick side. Jeff Petry also assisted on the play, marking his first point as a Panther. The Flyers responded late in the second, with Noah Cates evening the score with just over two minutes remaining in the period. Cates capitalized on a rebound after Tyson Foerster's initial shot was stopped by Panthers' goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
The game remained tied until Marchand's decisive goal at 2:19 of the third period. Marchand fired a wrist shot from the left boards that eluded Vladar and found the top right corner of the net. Luke Kunin and A.J. Greer were credited with the assists on the play, both players' first of the season. Marchand almost increased the lead but missed a breakaway opportunity with about six and a half minutes left in the game.
Vladar played well despite the loss, stopping 32 of 34 shots. Bobrovsky, in contrast, faced a lighter workload, making 19 saves on 20 shots. Dmitry Kulikov, Panthers defenseman, sustained an apparent arm injury during the second period and was unable to return to the game.
Both teams were unsuccessful on the power play, going 0-for-2.
Looking ahead, the Panthers will conclude their three-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. The Flyers will travel to Carolina to face the Hurricanes on Saturday before returning home to host the Panthers on Monday.
