Panthers’ Sam Bennett has put in the effort around the net. Results are starting to come

The Florida Panthers, on multiple occasions late Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers, needed a spark.

Sam Bennett provided it, with the center posting his first multi-goal game of the season. It wasn’t enough to complete the Panthers’ comeback in an eventual 4-2 loss but his efforts around the net kept Florida within reach until Edmonton cashed in on an empty net with 1:26 left to play to seal the game.

“Finding my game a little bit more and feeling better than I did at the beginning of the season,” Bennett said. “It’s always nice to start building that confidence.”

Bennett has now scored four goals and tallied five points total over the past three games. He is up to five goals on the season, tied with Matthew Tkachuk for second on the team and trailing only Carter Verhaeghe (eight) for the team lead. Add in five assists, and Bennett is one of five Panthers players with at least 10 points this season.

The goal-scoring, though, is the key aspect of his game that is finally coming around this season.

Bennett enters Sunday ranked eighth in the NHL with 7.94 expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick — second on Panthers behind Tkachuk and his NHL-leading 10.08. The 26-year-old forward has put up 56 shots on goal with 65 scoring chances, 32 high-danger chances, six rush attempts and nine rebounds created. Despite that, he had just one goals on the season before burying four over the past week.

In addition to his offense, Bennett also leads Florida forwards in hits (38) and is tied for second in blocked shots (10).

“Sometimes the guy in the middle needs to know he’s the driver,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He doesn’t need to defer to anybody. to play a great game. I think Benny, probably the last four or five games he’s played, even with different linemates, has been really, really strong. He’s been strong defensively. He’s been physical. Now, some pucks are starting to go in the net for him.”

That was the case on Saturday.

He tied the game at 1-1 early in the third period when he chased down a loose puck in front of the net and sent a wrist shot past Stuart Skinner at the tail end of a power play. Gustav Forsling blasted a shot attempt from the point into traffic toward the right side of the net before the puck bounced to the left, where Bennett was waiting.

“I actually wanted to be closer to that puck,” Bennett said. “I didn’t know if [Skinner] was going to be able to get across in time. I was just skating as hard as I can to get the puck and then tried to put it as far left as I could.”

Edmonton responded with two more goals to go up 3-1 with 4:53 left.

Bennett cut the deficit back to one 41 seconds later when he drove to the net, took a pass from Colin White, skated across the crease and sent a backhanded shot past Skinner to make it 3-2 with 4:02 left to play.

“It’s just showing that we’re not going to give up,” Bennett said. “We’re gonna push right to the end. It gave us a little bit of life.”

Jordan McPherson

Miami Herald

305-376-2129

Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.