2021-22 Season Rewind: Sam Bennett

Sam Bennett picked up right where he left off this past season.
Immediately finding his game with the Panthers after being acquired at last year's NHL trade deadline, the 26-year-old forward kept his foot on the gas during his first full season in South Florida while setting new career-highs in goals (28), assists (21) and points (49) in 71 games.
"I'm enjoying my time in South Florida, that's for sure," Bennett said in January.

So are fans.
Providing the Panthers with a physical punch as much as points, Bennett's 119 hits were the most among the team's forwards in 2021-22, while his four fights - including a pair of preseason scraps against the rival Lightning - often succeeded in swinging momentum in Florida's favor.
His best stretch of the season came early in 2022 when he posted 13 points (10 goals, three assists) over nine games from Jan. 14-31. During that incredible run - which included a four-point game against Dallas on Jan. 14 - his 10 goals were four more than any other Panther.
Looking back at those nine games, he lit the lamp at least once in seven of them.
"It was definitely a great year for me," Bennett said. "I think I stepped into a bigger role this year and really established myself as more of an offensive player this year. For myself, I think it was a step in the right direction, but I still think I can bring even more to the table as well."
Spending most of his time centering Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Duclair on the second line, Bennett also shined on the possession side of the game. Over the 804:16 he was on the ice at 5-on-5, Florida led the opposition 1,033-790 (56.6%) in shot attempts and 58-38 in goals.
"He's obviously a big part of our team," Duclair said.
In the postseason, Bennett racked up three points (one goal, two assist) during Round 1 to help the Panthers take down the Capitals in six games and win their first series since 1996. But after being swept out by the Lightning in Round 2, he's hungry to get another run started in 2023-23.
"I don't think we need to change anything drastic," said Bennett, who has 13 goals in 45 career playoff games. "It just comes down to wanting it a little bit more. We have all the pieces here. We've just got to figure out a way so that we should be playing our best hockey during playoffs."
With three years remaining on the four-year extension he inked last summer, Bennett, who has accrued 64 points (34 goals, 30 assists) and 148 hits over his first 81 career games with Florida, will continue to play a crucial role for the Panthers as they work to take that next step together as a team.
"It was a great season," Bennett said. "It was a lot of fun."

COOL STAT

Bennett has no problems with letting it rip.
Taking the "pucks on net" mentality to heart, he fired off a team-high 241 shots on goal this past season despite sitting out 11 games. The 12th-most shots in a season in franchise history, those 241 shots were also the most by a Panther since Mike Hoffman registered 253 in 2018-19.
Failing to get a shot on net in just five of the 71 games he appeared in, Bennett tallied at least five shots in 18 different games, including 10 shots on goal in a 5-2 victory over Montreal on Jan. 1.
Per NHL.com, of his 241 shots on goal, 131 of them were wrist shots.

BEST GAME

Putting on a show for the home crowd, Bennett scored his second hat trick of the season to help lead the Panthers to a stunningly lopsided 7-1 win over the Stars at FLA Live Arena on Jan. 14.
"It was a lot of fun," said Bennett, who also assisted on Gustav Forsling's goal that opened the scoring spree early. "Our whole team was on our game tonight right from the start. We were playing well, playing with energy and having fun all night. That's when our team is at its best."
With the Panthers already up 4-0, Bennett, who posted four multi-goal performances this past season, really put the game out of reach for the Stars when he found the back of the net twice within a span of less than three minutes to push the lead to 6-0 heading into the third period.
Completing his third-career hat trick, he made it 7-1 with 4:06 remaining in regulation.
"When he gets rolling and he's confident like that, he's as good as anyone," Duclair said of Bennett's game. "Happy to see him get the hat trick. It was a good feeling for everyone here."

GOAL OF THE YEAR

One goal, two milestones.
Capping off another classic comeback, Bennett hammered a centering feed from Aleksander Barkov past Dustin Tokarski from right on the doorstep with just 37.3 seconds left on the clock in the third period to put the Panthers on top 4-3 in an eventual win over the Sabres on April 8.
With that one score, he recorded the 100th goal and 200th point of his career.
"First and foremost, getting the game-winning goal is the most important," said Bennett, a smile peeking through his beard. "Obviously, it was a great feeling scoring the 100th [goal] as well."
The goal was one of seven game-winners this past season for Bennett.