RECAP: Bennett scores twice in loss to Oilers

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Even with a dominant start and two goals from Sam Bennett, the Florida Panthers came up short in a 4-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.
"We thought we dominated the first and played a pretty solid game in the second," Bennett said. "In the third they got [one] on the power play. We got away from our game just a little bit."

While there were no goals to speak of in the first period, the Panthers finished with a 21-5 advantage in shot attempts at 5-on-5 during the opening 20 minutes. They also limited the Oilers to just seven shots on goal, with only three of those shots being registered at 5-on-5.
With the Oilers on the power play late in the period, Spencer Knight came up in the clutch with an incredible highlight-reel glove save to deny Leon Draisaitl of what looked like a surefire goal.
If you missed the game, you should be able to catch that save on SportsCenter.
"For our point, we felt the offensive part of our game was there," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of the loss. "We didn't give up a whole lot, I think 12 even-strength shots through two periods. There weren't too many dangerous ones. Spencer made a great save on Draisaitl."
Breaking the ice for the Oilers, Tyson Barrie blasted a one-timer from the point that just slipped through a bit of a traffic in the slot and past Knight to make it 1-0 at 11:49 of the second period.
On the power play early in the third period, the Panthers tied things up when Bennett dashed down from the blue line and ripped a juicy rebound past Stuart Skinner to make it 1-1 at 2:42.
Over the last eight games, Florida has scored seven goals with the man advantage.

"I actually wanted to be closer to that puck," Bennett said of his first goal. "I didn't know if he was going to be able to get across in time. I just skated as hard as I could at the puck and put it as far to the left as I could.
"Our power play has definitely been trending in the right direction. We're getting more chances. Sometimes they don't go in, but I think as we build our game our power play is going to keep getting better and better."
Breaking through on their fifth power play, the Oilers regained the lead when Barrie locked, loaded and blasted a slap shot from the high slot past Knight to make it 2-1 at 6:53.
After Warren Foegele scored off a turnover to extend Edmonton's lead to 3-1 at 15:07, Bennett lit the lamp again just 51 seconds later to suddenly make it a one-goal game again at 3-2. Locking the win for the Oilers, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins cashed in on an empty net to make it 4-2 with just 1:26 left in regulation.
On a three-game goal streak, Bennett has scored four goals in that span.
"I think Benny, probably the last four or five games he's played, even with different linemates, has been really, really strong," Maurice said. "He's been strong defensively. He's been physical. Now some pucks are starting to go in the net for him."
The Panthers finished the game with a 34-22 lead over the Oilers scoring chances, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
"I think it's more frustrating when you're not getting chances," Bennett said. "We're playing good hockey. It's just a matter of sticking with it, and eventually the goals are going to start going in. We can't get frustrated even though it might be a little bit. We've just got to focus on playing our game."

KEY QUOTES

"I think we're really getting used to each other out there. It's a new system, so I think we're starting to learn it now." - Gustav Forsling on Florida's penalty kill.
"I'm finding my game a little bit more and feeling better than I did at the beginning of the season. It's always nice to start building that confidence."- Sam Bennett on heating up offensively.
"It's a frustrating loss because you're well prepared and played hard. The game flattened after the first, but it's going to because they've got a good team and you're not going to put up 70 shots on them. You know they're going to push a little bit. You felt you were left wanting and you felt your effort maybe deserved a little bit more, but there's always places you can get better, for sure."- Paul Maurice on the Panthers not getting rewarded.

CATS NOTES

• Aaron Ekblad skated a team-high 23:42 in his return to the lineup.
  - Sam Bennett recorded a team-leading six shots on goal.
  - Aleksander Barkov won 71% of his faceoffs.
  - Eric Staal skated a team-high 4:16 on the penalty kill.
  - Florida led 3.70-3.14 in expected goals, per NaturalStatTrick.com

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Panthers (8-6-1) will continue their homestand with a matchup against the Washington Capitals (7-7-2) at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
For tickets, click
HERE
.