In front of the net is always a battle zone. Take soccer, for example. You’ll find yourself on the team trying to score a goal or on the team that’s dying to prevent that from happening. Either way, anything can happen in front of the net. And so, everything happened there in today’s Stanley Cup Finals game 2 between the Oilers and Panthers at Rogers Place. Sam Bennett, usually the offender, seemingly played the victim. While the display of grit was spectacular from both teams, forcing two overtime periods at 4-4 each, it was ultimately the Panthers who took the night by storm.

Coming back to what Sam Bennett did, well, today, he actually didn’t do much. Yet, Bennett was assessed a two-minute minor for goaltender interference late in the first period when the score was tied at 2-2. Stuart Skinner was minding the Oilers’ net (his own business), and Bennett was right in front of him when the Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm came skidding Bennett’s way. To give Ekholm the benefit of the doubt, he did try his best to brake his skid before a not-so-much head-on collision against Bennett, who took Skinner down like this was a WWE night. Skinner, who saw stars for a while, eventually got back up and stayed on ice for the remainder of the game.

Trust Sam Bennett to never dodge a difficult question. In a post game interview as posted on X by NHLonTNT, Bennett was asked by the interviewer, “Last one for you. I’m not gonna ask you about the goal interference call, but there’s a very large portion of the Alberta population that does not wanna see you in front of the net. Anything you’d like to say to them about that?” to which his response was, “No, that’s where I’m gonna be for the rest of the series.” 

So, that’s that. Nothing is going to move Bennett from infront of the Oilers’ net. Not even a two-minute minor. Just like he planted himself in front of Stuart Skinner, Sam Bennett has a history of delivering bone-rattling moments without blinking an eye or (not) drawing the ire of the Department of Player Safety. Remember Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Maple Leafs? Bennett barreled straight into Anthony Stolarz with the subtlety of a freight train, sending the beleaguered goalie tumbling hard into the end boards. Stolarz left on a stretcher, clutching his shoulder and wondering what hit him, yet when the dust settled, Bennett walked away unscathed by any supplemental discipline.

Fast-forward to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hurricanes and you’ll find another chapter in Bennett’s contact-sport saga. Late in the second period, he caught Fredrik Andersen with a perfectly timed elbow to the head: a play that had every Hurricanes fan roaring in protest and Andersen getting checked for a concussion in disbelief. Again, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety chose not to hand out any fines or suspensions, letting Bennett skate free as if nothing more than a routine body check had occurred.

No matter the opponent, no matter the stage, Bennett thrives on chaos right in the crease. He’s the kind of competitor who will plant himself in harm’s way or plant another player on the turf and then shrug it off like it was all part of the evening’s entertainment. Discipline or no, Bennett’s physical brand of “hockey X WWE” is here to stay.

Sam Bennett’s surprise over referee’s goaltender interference call

Briefly during the intermission, a reporter caught hold of Bennett to ask him what he thought of the penalty call. Before slipping away, Bennett managed just two words, “very surprised”. This could swing two ways. Bennett’s notorious reputation precedes him. The NHL’s call for a two minute minor can be perceived as the NHL cracking down on Bennett as a response to repeated notoriety. That’s one way of looking at it.

Throughout the playoffs, the NHL’s officiating has been heavily trolled. This could be one way of the league’s management seeking redemption, by cracking down on the finals. On the other hand, replay of Bennett’s video on the Skinner incident reveals Mattias Ekholm’s collision on Bennett which seems almost natural. But the subsequent fall of Bennett on Skinner, though looks deliberate, was enough to make viewers wince.

Even the bravest of hearts would flinch and squirm at the sight of the large towering frame of Sam Bennett falling on top of Skinner’s calf awkwardly to send his ankle twisting in ways that defy normal anatomy. Hockey lovers and netizens are split into two factions. Was Bennett the only one to be reprimanded? Or was the fall on Skinner premeditated, did Bennett just seize the opportunity to strike the Oilers’ goalie like he had consistently been doing in the playoffs?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments. Which side are you on?