On his second shift, Bennett crunched defenseman Mason Lohrei with a hit in the right corner of the offensive zone at 3:24. Near the end of the same shift, he got the better of a collision with Bruins forward Brad Marchand at center ice that dropped the latter to the ice and might have caused the upper-body injury that resulted in him missing the third period.
On his next shift, Bennett delivered a big hit on David Pastrnak that knocked the Bruins forward to the ice at 5:41.
“You take a few games off with an injury and he comes back in and is the same player,” Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said. “So, he brings that energy for us. On the quieter side, but on the ice he’s very loud and very physical and a perfect player for playoff hockey.”
The Stanley Cup Playoffs seem to bring out the best in Bennett, who has 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 68 postseason games. After getting 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 69 regular-season games, Bennett has three points (one goal, two assists) in three playoff games.
He was a key contributor for the Panthers during their run to the Stanley Cup Final last season before they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. Bennett had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and was second on the team with 84 hits in 20 playoff games, including five points (three goals, two assists) and 25 hits in six games when Florida defeated Boston in seven games in the first round.
“I love playoff hockey, how it’s a little faster, it’s more physical,” he said. “Every play is a little bit more important. You’re able to go out there and lay at all on the ice because of how important the game is. I love that opportunity.”
That’s why Bennett desperately wanted to get back after he was injured when he was hit by a shot from Montour in Florida’s 3-2 overtime win against Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round on April 23. Although the Panthers eliminated the Lightning in five games and split the first two against the Bruins without him, Bennett couldn’t stand being a spectator at the best time of the season.
“It’s torture,” he said. “It’s tough to sit at home and watch your teammates go to battle, but they’ve done a heck of a job. I’m just happy to be in the situation that I am and happy to be able to come back.”
Maurice believes Bennett is a good playoff performer not because he elevates his play in the postseason, but because he plays a playoff style during the regular season too.
“He plays hard all year, so when the playoffs come, there’s no different game,” Maurice said. “He’s not playing any harder last night than he was in November. So, when it gets heavy and it gets hard, he doesn’t notice.”
But others certainly notice him.
“He has such an identity to his game,” linemate Carter Verhaeghe said. “He’s so fast. He can make plays. He can burn you with a nice play or a goal or a big goal or a big hit or something like that. So, I think it always keeps the other team kind of on their toes and they’re always wondering where he’s at.”
