2022-23 Season Rewind: Sam Bennett

Fans in South Florida were treated to plenty of "Playoff Sam" in 2022-23.

After an injury suffered at the end of the regular season sidelined him for the first game of Round 1 against the Bruins, Sam Bennett returned to the lineup with a vengeance for the Panthers.

Playing a key role in helping pull off one of the greatest playoff upsets in NHL history, the grizzled center scored three goals and paced the Panthers with 25 hits against the 65-win Bruins.

"I want to be a guy that guys don't want to play against," Bennett said. "I want to make it hard on their forwards and make it hard on their D especially. I'm going to do whatever I can to finish every check on the forecheck and make it as hard as possible for them. These series are all long. If you can make guys think that you're coming every shift, that works to your advantage."

Following that seven-game slugfest against Boston, Bennett only got better.

Making a dent on the scoresheet in 13 of 20 games in the playoffs, the 27-year-old finished tied for fourth on the Panthers in scoring with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists). He also ranked first among the team's forwards in hits with 84 -- 26 more than the second-ranked forward.

In 65 career playoff games, Bennett has logged 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists).

"I feel he plays with that intensity all year so that when he gets to the playoffs it's nothing new for him," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said when asked about Bennett's "Playoff Sam" moniker. "For a lot of players, there's a major adjustment to the game that's played and how that affects their own game. It just doesn't affect Sam because he plays that game all year."

Exactly.

Despite being limited to 63 games during the regular season, Bennett still managed to lead Florida's forwards in hits (150) and compiled 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists). Anchoring the club's second line, he also finished second to only Aleksander Barkov in faceoff wins with 425.

His hottest stretch of the season -- outside of his exceptional work in the playoffs -- came over the course of six games from Nov. 6 through Nov. 19. In that span, he ranked tied for first on the team in points (10), second in hits (17), and tied for third in takeaways (4) and blocked shots (7).

Making a positive impact at 5-on-5, the Panthers controlled 55.69% of shot attempts, 55.70% of goals and 56.96% of expected goals when Bennett was on the ice, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

"He's hard on pucks, hard on the body," linemate Matthew Tkachuk said. "He's the worst to play against, but the best to play with. I'm super lucky that he's on my line. The way I want to play, it's the way he plays. I just look at the way that he plays and try to follow that."

With the 2023-24 campaign on the horizon, Bennett is looking forward to even more playoff hockey.

"I think that it's just part of the style of the game," Bennett said of his work in the postseason. "It's a lot more of an intense game. There's going to be more physical play. There's going to be more intensity. When the game gets like that, I think it's going to bring the best out of my game."

COOL STAT

Bennett likely deserved a few more goals than he ended up with.

Easily one of the most-active players on the Panthers in the offensive zone, his 1.05 expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 was the fourth-best mark on the team, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

One reason for that was his ability to put the puck on net, which is evidenced by the fact he was one of only three skaters on the team to average more than 10 shots on goal per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.

Of those shots, many came from right around the net. His 5.6 high-danger shot attempts per 60 minutes was the second-best mark on the Panthers. If you include his work on the power play, that number jumps up to 9.55, which placed him behind only Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart.

BEST GAME

Bennett made his impact felt right away in Round 1 against Boston.

After missing the first game of the series, he not only lit the lamp in his return, but also tallied three hits and fired off a team-high seven shots on goal to help the Panthers secure a massive 6-3 win on the road at TD Garden and get the opening-round showdown squared up at one game apiece on April 19.

For his efforts, he was named the second star of the game.

"It felt great," Bennett said after the hard-fought win. "It's always tough when you're out for a while. It was tough watching Game 1 from the press box. It felt great to get right back in there."

In addition to his contributions on the scoresheet, Bennett and his linemates also suffocated the Bruins with a relentless forecheck. Over the 12:16 that he was deployed at 5-on-5, the Panthers led 10-2 in scoring chances and controlled 80.8% of expected goals, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

"Everyone expected that," defenseman Brandon Montour said. "He's a dangerous player, especially in the playoffs. He plays the right way. He plays hard. It was great to see him back."

GOAL OF THE YEAR

Both the puck and Bennett ended up in the back of the cage on this one.

Kicking off the scoring in his return to action in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Bruins on April 19, Bennett chased down a pass, lunged forward and fired a shot on net that got just a piece of Linus Ullmark before trickling into the net to make it 1-0 in the second period.

If you're looking for a hard-working goal, look no further.