5 Takeaways: Bennett Scores in OT to Lift Panthers to Win in Chicago

The Panthers aren't taking their foot off the gas.
Still treating every game with the utmost importance despite having already punched their ticket to the playoffs, the Panthers clawed their way to another two points when Sam Bennett roofed a goal 4:08 into overtime to secure a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks at United Center on Thursday.

"It's huge," Bennett said. "We know how important it is to play the right way for the rest of the season. We can't let off and change our game. We've got to go into the playoffs playing the right way and playing hard every night. That's how we're going to have success in the playoffs."
Taking advantage of a scramble in front of Florida's crease, the Blackhawks opened the scoring tonight when Adam Gaudette maneuvered through a few stick checks before sweeping the puck past Spencer Knight and across the goal line to make it a 1-0 contest at 13:47 of the first period.
In the second period, the Panthers pulled even when Alex Wennberg stuck his stick between his legs and re-directed a point shot from MacKenzie Weegar past Kevin Lankinen to make it 1-1 at 7:47. Capping off a 2-on-1 rush soon after, Vinnie Hinostroza then put Chicago up 2-1 at 10:09.
Flying down through the left circle towards the net, Anthony Duclair, who has been piling up the points as of late, then evened things up once again for the Panthers when he followed up on a shot from Brandon Montour and sent the juicy rebound past Lankinen to make it 2-2 at 13:09.
Keeping the score tied heading into the second intermission, Knight then made his biggest save of the game when he sprawled out to rob Alex DeBrincat of a golden shorthanded opportunity.
As stoic as the rookie is between the pipes, even he cracked a smile after the amazing stop.

"I really value my routine and just having fun," said Knight, who was scooped up by Florida with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and now sits at 3-0-0 through the first three games of his budding career. "I always try to have a smile on my face. I think that's the biggest thing."
Giving the Panthers their first lead of the game, Montour received a pass from Wennberg and beat Lankinen with a snipe in stride from the high slot to make it 3-2 at 9:09 of the third period.
That would be the only goal to speak of in the final frame until the waning seconds of regulation when, with Lankinen pulled in favor of the extra attacker, DeBrincat collected a feed from Patrick Kane and one-timed a blistering shot past Knight from the left of the net to make it 3-3 at 19:42.
In overtime, Knight turned aside three shots -- including a really great look from Kane -- before Bennett went top-shelf on Lankinen for the game-winning goal at 4:08 to lock in the 4-3 victory.
Improving to 33-14-5, Florida now trails Carolina by just two points for first place in the Central Division, while Chicago, which fell to 22-22-6, inched just a bit closer to the brink of elimination.
"They were all over there us there for a bit, and Knighter stood on his head," Bennett said of the action in the extra frame. "He made some unbelievable saves to keep us in it. To be able to come away with the two points tonight is huge for our team and for giving us a chance at first."
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's overtime win in the Windy City…

1. WENNBERG'S SCORE

Wennberg continues to score like never before with the Panthers.
Setting up shop right in front of Lankinen on the power play, the 26-year-old forward stuck his stick between his legs and got just enough of a long one-timer from Weegar to deflect the puck into the net to get the Panthers on the board and make it a 1-1 game at 7:47 of the first period.

His 13th goal of the season, Wennberg has now matched the career-high total he scored back during the 2016-17 season with Columbus. However, it took him 28 fewer games to hit that mark with Florida. In addition to his growing goal output, he's also accumulated 12 assists.
With a goal and an assist tonight, Wennberg tallied his fourth multi-point game of the season.

2. THE DUKE DOMINATES

Oh, look, another big game for Duclair.
Showing off his skills in transition, the speedy winger flew down the ice, avoided a poke check and then buried a rebound goal to get the game knotted up at 2-2 at 13:09 of the second period.

Sitting sixth on the Panthers in scoring with 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists), Duclair has done a lot of that damage over the past month or so. Dating back to March 28, he's notched 14 points (five goals, nine assists) and a +15 rating during an incredibly productive 12-game hot stretch.
In seven games against Chicago this season, Duclair has posted one goal and four assists.

3. DENISENKO'S FIRST POINT

Grigori Denisenko will be heading home from this road trip with at least one milestone puck.
By chipping in the secondary assist on Duclair's goal, the 20-year-old rookie recorded what will likely be the first of many points that he'll rack up throughout his promising career. Recalled from the AHL earlier this week, Denisenko's first point came in just his fourth game in the NHL.

"I like him around the puck," Quenneville said of Denisenko. "He sees plays. He's got some patience in the pucks areas, and I think that's going to grow with time. The overall game, I think he thinks it the right way on both sides of the puck."
Taken by the Panthers with the 15th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Denisenko has spent most of this season in the AHL with Syracuse after spending the previous three seasons suiting up in the KHL. In 15 games with the Crunch, he posted nine points, including five goals.
"I think he's improved from his first stint up here," Quenneville said of Denisenko, who played two games with Florida in early March. "He's seeing the best defensemen in the game, usually matched up against them, so that's another good challenge for him. … He's a quick study."

4. MONTOUR MAKES IT HAPPEN

Like Bennett, Montour has been making himself at home since joining the Panthers.
Picking up his second goal since coming over from the Sabres prior to the trade deadline earlier this month, the 27-year-old defenseman sent the Panthers ahead 3-2 when he took a pass from Wennberg and rifled a shot past Lankinen from the high slot at the 9:09 mark of the third period.

"He's very engaged offensively," Quenneville said of Montour, who skated 19:59 against the Blackhawks tonight. "Defensively, in the puck areas, he comes up with a lot of loose pucks as well in the defensive zone. Our D, when we're active, our possession game really improves."
Saddling up alongside Markus Nutivaara on the blue line ever since he was shipped south from Buffalo, Montour has certainly settled in nicely since his arrival. In nine games since the deal went down, he's recorded three points (two goals, one assist), 17 hits and seven blocked shots.
When he was deployed at 5-on-5 tonight, Florida owned a 21-8 advantage in shot attempts.

5. THE OVERTIME HERO

Bennett picked his corner and simply let it rip.
Hopping over the boards in overtime, the mustachioed forward took a pass from Weegar, skated up into the right circle and roofed a shot over Lankinen's glove to lock in the 4-3 win.

"I saw a little spot, I aimed for it, and it went in," Bennett said. "It feels really good."
Cracking in the scoresheet in seven of eight games since being acquired by the Panthers from the Flames at the trade deadline, Bennett has quickly become one of the team's most-reliable players on offense. In that eight-game stretch, he's produced 11 points (four goals, six assists), while also showing off the physical side of his game by dishing out 26 hits, including six tonight.
"I'm having a blast out here," Bennett said. "I love the guys. I'm just really enjoying every minute of it."