Brad Marchand could possibly be in lineup as Panthers host Utah

Brad Marchand could make his debut for the Florida Panthers on Friday night when his new team hosts the Utah Hockey Club in Sunrise, Fla.

Marchand, acquired from the Boston Bruins on March 7 for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2027, has not been able to play for Florida because of an upper-body injury.

He skated on the Panthers’ second line in practice for the second day in a row on Thursday. Sam Bennett, who did not practice on Wednesday, was at center, and Mackie Samoskevich was at left wing.

“We’ll see how everyone comes back to the rink (on Friday), and then (after) the morning skate, we’ll make the decision whether Brad is in or not,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said.

Marchand, 36, had played his entire 16-season career with the Bruins, recording 422 goals and 976 points in 1,090 games. He has 21 goals and 26 assists to go with a minus-8 rating in 61 games this season. He had been Boston’s captain since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.

Marchand has acclimated himself to his new surroundings since the trade.

“He’s part of the group, and he’s had the opportunity to get all the social parts out of the way,” Maurice said. “He’s dying to get into the game and play the game with the guys out there.”

Florida (43-25-3, 89 points) has been idle since posting a 4-3 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

The Panthers are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Lightning breezed to an 8-0 win Thursday over the Utah Hockey Club (32-29-11, 75 points), who have lost two games in a row.

Starting goalie Karel Vejmelka surrendered four goals on 11 shots Thursday before being pulled midway into the second period. Jaxson Stauber gave up four goals on 10 shots in relief.

“It was really disappointing the way we came out, didn’t win enough battles, didn’t get on the inside,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “Everybody’s in the same boat — coaches, players. … We all have to look ourselves in the mirror. The good thing is we’re playing tomorrow.”

The Utah Hockey Club fell behind 2-0 just 4:20 into the game and then allowed four goals in the second period.

“That was terrible, from the start to the finish, we didn’t play nearly the style of game that we wanted to play, and it showed,” Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said. “We have to make a decision if we want to be in the playoffs or not. This is kind of a punch in the face.”

Sergachev played his first game in Tampa since being traded during the offseason. He was with the Lightning from 2017 to 2024 and helped them win Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. He was honored with a video tribute during the first period.

“It’s tough to talk about it right now, honestly, after a game like that,” Sergachev said. “But I said in between periods that I really appreciated it. It was great. … Thanks for the warm reception. The fans are great, everybody’s great. It was supposed to be a special night.”

–Field Level Media