Brad Marchand will return to the Florida Panthers when they host the Dallas Stars on Saturday evening in Sunrise, Fla.
Marchand took a leave of absence from the team – missing the Panthers’ 3-2 home shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday – in order to support his trainer of many years, J.P. MacCallum, whose 10-year-old daughter Selah died of cancer last Friday.
MacCallum is the head coach of the March & Mill Company Hunters of the Nova Scotia Under-18 Hockey League in Marchand’s hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Marchand’s company, March & Mill, sponsors the team.
Marchand served as the Hunters’ head coach for their game Wednesday night so MacCallum could be with his family.
Marchand and the Panthers will try to improve on their average of only 2.45 goals per game in the first 11 contests.
They have also lost two of their last three (1-1-1).
Florida has been getting its chances, with an expected goal total of 39.43 for the 11 games, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. The Panthers have scored 27 goals.
“We think there will be a revision to the mean there,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “But instead of sitting here waiting for it to come or for guys to score … it’s a work in progress.”
Florida has won consecutive Stanley Cups and been to the Final the past three seasons, but has been without two of its top players – captain Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk — because of injuries.
“We want to add something to our game,” Maurice said. “I will fight the urge to say we’re trying to change some things. There are some things we can’t do; fine. So we have to find other ways to play the game, other ways to win games and to score. We’re a little challenged in that right now.”
The Stars are on a five-game point streak (3-0-2) after their 2-1 overtime loss to the host Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.
Dallas’ Adam Erne tied the game 2:03 into the third period but Anthony Cirelli scored 2:36 into OT to send the Stars on to Sunrise with only a point.
Jake Oettinger made 31 saves.
It was Erne’s first goal since Dec. 21, 2023, when he was with the Edmonton Oilers.
The 30-year-old journeyman did not play in the NHL last season, only skating in 10 games with the Hartford Wolfpack of the American Hockey League.
“Every point is just as important as it is at the end of the year and the more we can squeak out now the better, hopefully we’ll get two in Florida,” said Erne, a second-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2013. “We don’t have an overwhelming amount of goals or offense this season, but that’s going to come. Good teams can win in a lot of different ways and we’ve shown we can win by playing good defensively.”
The Stars have scored 29 goals and allowed 32 in 11 games, but are 6-3-2.
Thursday was their second consecutive game without Roope Hintz, Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn, Oskar Back and defenseman Nils Lundkvist because of injuries.
It was also Tyler Seguin’s 1,000th game.
