Sam Bennett on slow Panthers start: ‘I have to, honestly, just play better.’
The Florida Panthers have expected more out of Sam Bennett.
Sam Bennett has expected more out of Sam Bennett.
But here they are, 11 games into season, and Bennett has yet to get into a groove.
Entering the Panthers’ home game against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, Bennett has just two points — one power-play goal and one assist.
This coming after the physical, tone-setting center won the Conn Smythe as the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP last season with a league-high 15 goals and tallying 22 total points during Florida’s run to a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
This coming after the 29-year-old signed an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $8 million.
“It’s definitely been tough,” Bennett told the Miami Herald earlier this week. “It’s very obviously not a great start to the season for me. I have to, honestly, just play better.”
Bennett was tasked at the start of the season to take on a heavier workload after top-line center and captain Aleksander Barkov underwent surgery to repair the ACL and MCL in his right knee following an injury at the start of training camp. He moved up to the top line to start the season, taking Barkov’s spot with Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe on his wings.
The results didn’t come despite the chances being there.
Bennett has just one point in 144:04 of ice time at five-on-five. Of 112 forwards with at least that much ice time when the game is played at full strength entering play Saturday, Bennett is one of just four forwards without a goal and no more than one point at 5 on 5. The others: Boston’s Elias Lindholm (0 points in 166:12), Nashville’s Steven Stamkos (1 assist in 149:07) and Dallas’ Sam Steel (1 assist in 148:46).
This lack of production comes despite Bennett ranking among the top four on the Panthers’ roster in scoring chances (22, third), total shot attempts (36, fourth), expected goals for (2.37, fourth) and shots on goal (17, tied for fourth) at five-on-five.
The Panthers as a whole, meanwhile, have been outscored 10-2 when Bennett is on the ice at full strength despite the expected goals being 7.88-5.7 in favor of the Panthers and Florida having a 77-56 edge in scoring chances.
As a result, Maurice has moved Bennett to a lesser role. He’s now centering Florida’s third line as the Panthers look for consistency and production in their five-on-five game overall. Evan Rodrigues is now centering the top line with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart on his wings, and that group has looked good. The Panthers have controlled 60.6% of shot attempts when the trio of Verhaeghe, Rodrigues and Reinhart is on the ice while also having a 30-10 edge in shots on goal over the opposition.
Beyond five-on-five play, Bennett is also now down on the second power-play unit, with Anton Lundell taking over his spot on the top group that also includes Sam Reinhart, Mackie Samoskevich, Brad Marchand and Seth Jones.
But Bennett is doing what he can to stay undeterred despite the slow start.
“Just trying to stay positive, trying to help the team win any way I can when the puck’s not going in,” Bennett said. “For me, there are other things I can do to still make sure I’m being effective out there. It’s just a matter of being positive, sticking with it. I obviously expect a lot more out of myself.”
Marchand returns
Marchand is back for the Panthers after missing Tuesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks for personal reasons.
Marchand took a brief leave of absence to serve as a guest coach for the under-18 Marchand and Mill Co. Hunters in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in place of friend JP MacCallum, whose 10-year-old daughter Selah died after a battle with cancer.
Marchand is a co-owner of the team and his outdoor apparel company, March & Mill Co, sponsors the team. MacCallum, the team’s head coach, is one of Marchand’s longtime friends.
Marchand, 37, enters the game with a team-leading 11 points and six assists on the season. His five goals are tied with Reinhart for the team lead.
Luke Kunin will be a healthy scratch with Marchand returning to the lineup, making Florida’s fourth line the trio of A.J. Greer, Cole Schwindt and Noah Gregor.
A Panthers debut
Defenseman Donovan Sebrango will make his Panthers debut on Saturday, drawing in for Uvis Balinskis on Florida’s third defenseman pair with veteran Jeff Petry.
The Panthers claimed Sebrango off waivers from the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 15 but didn’t physically join the team until last week due to visa issues.
.JPG)