Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesJeff Romance-Imagn Images
Paul Maurice saw Brad Marchand hands match Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk for the Florida Panthers.
After the win, Paul Maurice said Marchand, Reinhart, and Tkachuk share the same kind of hands, the sneaky touch that shows up when the play gets tight. He also admitted he did not expect Marchand to have it.
That is a big statement coming from Maurice, because coaches do not toss around comparisons like that unless they truly believe it. He basically called it a rare skill set, the kind that can turn a broken play into a goal.
Hands are not just toe drags for the highlight reel. They are quick decisions, soft receptions, and the ability to finish when you are off balance, pressured, or looking through bodies.
Monday's 5-3 comeback against the Washington Capitals was a perfect backdrop for that comment. Sam Reinhart finished with two goals and an assist, and Brad Marchand tied the game in the third by battling around the crease.
Brad Marchand hands drive Florida Panthers offense
From a fan angle, it is hard not to smile when your coach starts grouping your guys with the true problem-solvers. That kind of praise feels earned, not fluffy, and it tells you Maurice trusts those players late.
Marchand's tying goal was the exact «hands» moment Maurice was talking about, a rebound battle that required touch and timing more than power. A lot of players hack at that puck, Marchand guides it.
Reinhart does the same thing in a quieter way, living around the slot and finding pucks before defenders even know they are loose. Two goals in a tight game is not luck, it is repetition and positioning.
Tkachuk has been the Panthers' blueprint for years in that space, turning chaos into points with body position and feel. When Maurice says Marchand belongs in that group, it is about that same small-area confidence.
What I like most is how it fits Florida's identity, get inside, win a second puck, then make one quick play to the middle. When your best finishers can handle pucks in traffic, that style becomes a nightmare to defend.
Now the next step is consistency, because these «hands games» are usually the ones that swing a homestand. If Maurice keeps seeing that same touch from Marchand and Reinhart, Florida stays dangerous even when the game gets messy.