Brad Marchand Calls Season Debut 'A Rude Awakening' Despite Scoring Late Game-Tying Goal In Anaheim

Marchand made his regular season debut on Sunday night when the Florida Panthers visited the Anaheim Ducks after missing the first two games of the season while recovering from summer surgery.

He wasn't expected back into Florida's lineup until sometime in November, but his early arrival couldn't have come at a better time as the Panthers just had to put their captain, Sasha Barkov, on LTIR with a lower-body injury that is expected to keep him out for an extended period of time.

"I felt it was a bit of a rude awakening, being out there," Marchand said after the game. "I've only had a couple morning skates with the guys and one practice yesterday, so the speed of the game and the intensity definitely ramped up a ton, but it was great to be back out there. It's going to take some time to get the timing of everything back and conditioning back, but it was incredible being back out there and being part of the team again."