It's a moment one could say changed the course of two franchises. A moment that may have set the tone for the Florida Panthers winning the last two Stanley Cup championships. A moment that, for the people involved, prompts the same question to this day.
That question: “What if?”
What if Brad Marchand scored what would have been a series-clinching goal on a breakaway in the final moments of Game 5 of the 2023 first-round series between his top-seeded Boston Bruins — a team that broke the NHL record for wins in a regular season — against the eighth-seeded Panthers?
The moment lasted 7.7 seconds, start to finish. That was 2 1/2 years ago. It still resonates. The Panthers have been to the last three Stanley Cup Finals, winning the last two. Marchand joined Florida last season and without hi