Playoff Sam: Bennett a big piece for Panthers in run to Stanley Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Sam Bennett was baptized by playoff hockey.

Just four days after making his NHL debut in the final game of the 2014-15 season, Bennett, then just a wide-eyed, 18-year-old forward with the Calgary Flames, made his playoff debut during a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round.

In that win, Bennett, the fourth-overall pick in 2014, recorded an assist on the game-winning goal for his first-career playoff point. From there, he went on to score goals in both Games 3 and 4 to help the Flames advance to Round 2 where they eventually lost to the Anaheim Ducks.

Still, the seeds of "Playoff Sam" were planted.

"Back then, it was crazy," Bennett told FloridaPanthers.com during a post-practice chat at FLA Live Arena on Monday. "I was just a kid who was just excited to be there. I had so much energy and excitement and nerves. Getting that out of the way to start my NHL career, you don't get much more intense hockey than that to start. After that, I think you get accustomed to the way that hockey's played in the playoffs, and I definitely know how playoff hockey is played now."

Reflecting on his first few playoff games, Bennett, now 26, believes that the biggest thing he took away from dipping his toe into those deep waters early on in his career was the importance of everything. In the playoffs, every shift, every sequence and every second truly matters.

"It's really just how important every little play is," Bennett said. "It's all about how hard how you have to work every single night. You're not taking a shift off, let alone a game off. It's important to really make every play. It's just that important. That's probably the main thing I took out of it."

Prior to being shipped to South Florida at the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline, Bennett had racked up 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 30 playoff games. Matching that solid production with the Panthers, he's notched an identical 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 30 playoff games since.

But it's not just the points that make Bennett a beast in the action following Game 82.

Never shying away from physicality, he exudes a menacing presence on the ice in the playoffs. Sort of like the shark in "Jaws," he's always looming. As the game goes on, the threat of a potential hit builds up like John Williams' iconic two-note score from the blockbuster movie.

Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn.

Once he makes contact -- boom!

"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."

For his teammates, getting to watch Bennett work is a pleasure.

"It's fun to see," said defenseman Radko Gudas, a fellow aficionado of big hits. "He's very hard to play against. He's doing the right things. He's on the right side of the puck, he's physical and he's scoring goals. For us, it's great to have him. He's one of the drivers of the offense out there."

After missing the end of the regular season and the first game of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins, Bennett's return to the lineup has been a massive boon for the eight-seed Panthers on their epic run to the Stanley Cup Final as feisty underdogs.

In the middle of Matthew Tkachuk and Nick Cousins on the second line, Bennett has racked up 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 15 games to help the Panthers push their way through three imposing opponents in the Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

Despite missing one game, Bennett ranks second in the playoffs among forwards with 62 hits.

Looking back at their incredible upset against the 65-win Bruins, Tkachuk said that Bennett, who led Florida's forwards with 25 hits in the seven-game slugfest of a series, played an integral role in striking fear into the hearts of the once unshakeable Presidents' Trophy winners.

As Tkachuk tells it, by the end of the series the area behind the net belonged to No. 9.

"I think it's just the energy and the tenacity," said Tkachuk, a former teammate of Bennett's in Calgary. "He's hard on pucks, hard on the body. 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."

So what makes Bennett so effective come playoff time?

If you ask head coach Paul Maurice, he'll tell you that the answer is quite simple.

In his mind, "Playoff Sam" is exactly the same as "Regular-Season Sam."

"I feel he plays with that intensity all year so that when he gets to the playoffs it's nothing new for him," said Maurice, who saw plenty of Bennett during his days coaching in the Western Conference. "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."

For Bennett and the Panthers, that year has now come down to just one series.

One of two teams left standing, the Panthers, who are well rested after sweeping the Hurricanes, will open up the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

"It's awesome," said Bennett, who's sporting one of the better playoff beards in the locker room. "I think right now we're at a part where you don't really want to think about it too much. You're just worried about the next series. After this is all done you can look back and appreciate where we got, but we've still got work to do. We're not satisfied with where we are just yet."

As for his "Playoff Sam" moniker, he wears it as a badge of honor.

"Obviously that's a big compliment if people think I'm stepping up my game in the playoffs," Bennett said of his apt nickname. "I think that it's just part of the style of the game. 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."

To stay up to date on Florida's playoff run, visit Video: FLA@TOR, Gm1: Bennett deflects a shot into the net.