For most of his career, Brad Marchand has been known as a “rat” to NHL fans outside of Boston, sometimes affectionately, and at other times, unaffectionately.
Given his career longevity and his captaincy with the Bruins, the general vibe around Marchand has softened. But now, he may be cementing himself as an NHL legend because of these playoffs.
He was the MVP of Game 2 for Florida, delivering a shorthanded goal earlier in regulation and the eventual game winner in overtime. Marchand also contributed a goal in the Panthers’ blowout 6-3 win in Game 3.
Game 2’s OT winner moved Marchand into third place for all-time playoff overtime goals, tied with four players, including two in this series, Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe and Edmonton’s Corey Perry.
What other records could Marchand end up breaking or come close to breaking if he has a few more years (and more importantly, playoff runs) left in the tank?
Most Overtime Goals in Playoffs, Career
Marchand’s five overtime goals in his career land him in a third-place spot all-time.
Above him, in second place, with six goals, is Maurice Richard. Joe Sakic has the top spot with eight goals in overtime.
It’s very possible that Marchand could grab another overtime goal this playoffs and tie Richard’s mark of six. But whether he can tie Sakic’s has more to do with where he decides to go this offseason.
If he returns to the Bruins, something that has been speculated but seems somewhat counterintuitive for a player of his caliber, he may not even make it back to the playoffs. If he re-signs with the Panthers, he could certainly get three more playoff overtime goals over the next however-many seasons.
Most Overtime Points in Playoffs, Career
Maybe this is kind of cheating, but as much as Marchand has a shot to move up into the upper echelon of playoff goals, he also has a shot at grabbing the career overtime points record.
He currently has eight all-time in his career, which has him tied with seven other players. Above him, with nine, are Adam Oates and Doug Gilmour. In first place, with 14, is Joe Sakic.
Like with overtime goals, Marchand has a chance to move into second place this season. But, the 14-point mark for Sakic may be difficult for him to get to in his career.
Most Overtime Playoff Games Played, Career
Marchand currently ranks tenth all-time in most overtime playoff games played in a career. His 43 games played have him tied with seven other players, including Doug Gilmour, Brett Hull, and Joe Thornton.
The first-place spot belongs to Mike Keane with 61 overtime games played in his career. It goes without saying that this will be an extremely challenging record for Marchand to reach.
But he could move further up onto the list and join the ranks of some more all time greats. His longtime former teammate Patrice Bergeron stands alone in eighth place with 45 career overtime games played.
Career Playoff Goals
With 64 career goals in the playoffs, Marchand is tied with multiple other players for 22nd on the all-time list.
As things stand currently, only 15 goals separate him from the tenth-ranked player on that list, Jean Beliveau.
It may take Marchand some time to get there, but a few more playoff runs for the 37-year-old could land him in some illustrious company. He’s only three goals away from Evgeni Malkin’s career mark, only four goals away from Gordie Howe’s, and six away from Steve Yzerman’s.
While it may be difficult for Marchand to land in that top ten, getting closer will only further solidify an already likely first-ballot Hall of Fame career.
