It may have taken a little longer than he wanted to, but Brad Marchand has now officially scored a goal for two different NHL franchises. The Florida Panthers forward found twine for the first time not as a member of the Boston Bruins in a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday night.

“I’m just enjoying this whole journey, it is such a unique experience for myself,” Marchand said after the victory, per NHL.com's George Richards. “I have been part of really good teams that have accomplished big things, and some that haven’t. Regardless, what you realize is these opportunities are few and far between. Enjoy every day in this League, and I’m having a lot of fun right now.”

After spending the first nearly 16 seasons of his career in Massachusetts, Marchand was shockingly acquired by the Panthers just hours before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. He didn't make his Florida debut until March 27 after being sidelined with an upper-body injury.

The 36-year-old finally got off the schneid in a big win over the Wings on home ice on Thursday, scoring the team's third goal late in the second period.

He'll look to build off of that momentum with just three games left until the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That's a place where Marchand is quite familiar; he won a championship with the Bruins in 2011 and came within one victory of another title in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

The Panthers brought Marchand in for exactly that reason, as they look to become the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups since the Tampa Bay Lightning accomplished the feat in 2020 and 2021.

After advancing to the 2023 Finals — and losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games — the Panthers finished the job last year, beating the Edmonton Oilers in a thrilling Game 7. It was the first time ever the franchise has been at the top of the hockey world.

In 2024-25, it's going to be a tough road out of the Eastern Conference for Marchand and his new team.

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Panthers jockeying for home-ice advantage in Atlantic Division

Now 46-29-4, Florida is four points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, who lead the Atlantic Division and have a game in hand on the Panthers.

If the standings hold, and the Lightning don't leapfrog the Leafs over the last seven days of the season, the Panthers will finish third in the division and play the Bolts in Round 1 for the second straight year.

Florida beat Tampa Bay in five games in that series, although both rosters look quite a bit different this time around. The Lightning now have Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand in the fold, while the Panthers have added Marchand and Seth Jones to the equation.

Although Marchand has been quiet in his first couple of weeks in Florida, he'll be expected to take on a big role in the postseason — regardless of who the squad faces.

Based on Thursday's game, the Nova Scotia native is ready to make a run at a second Stanley Cup along with the Panthers this spring.