Sam Bennett’s Controversial Goal for Panthers Gets Him in Trouble With Former NHL Goalie

Things are already heating up! As expected, the first match between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers got off to a rough start, and even before the match concluded, there were enough controversies to keep us hooked for a fortnight. Courtesy of Sam Bennett. However, some NHL experts seem to see these as infractions rather than a controversial call by the match officials.

“I think there’s familiarity there. We know what to expect from their game,” the Oilers’ captain, Connor McDavid, said before the Stanley Cup Finals. However, as the match began, it became apparent that the Florida Panthers still had a few tricks up their sleeves that would catch Edmonton off guard. But Martin Biron, a former NHL goalie, wasn’t having any of the bunnies that the Cats and Sam Bennett brought out of the hat in the first period.

In a post on X from June 4, the ex-Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers netminder shared his frustrated feelings after looking at Sam Bennett’s first-period goal that put the Florida Panthers back on level terms with the hosts at Rogers Place. Sharing the original post by Shayna of The Athletic, Biron noted his displeasure at how Bennett’s goal was allowed to stand by the refs.

“League doesn’t want to call back goals unless in very obvious. I don’t like this being called a good goal,” grumbled Biron in his post, slamming the Florida Panthers for resorting to debatable tricks to stay in Cup contention. Leon Draisaitl gave Edmonton an early lead. However, just minutes later, at 10:49, Sam Bennett evened the odds. Deflecting the puck from Carter Verhaeghe’s shot, the Panthers forward managed to send the Oilers’ goalie, Stuart Skinner, the wrong way.

However, the hosts wouldn’t take the decision without a fight, and challenged the decision, claiming that Bennett made contact with goalie Stuart Skinner as the puck went in. But the challenge was nullified. Instead, the Oilers were handed a minor penalty as the referees ruled that the Florida Panthers’ star had been tripped. With the latest dismissed challenge, “Coaches are now 0-4 on goalie interference challenges this postseason,” as Shayna notes in her original post.

However, all the scuffles in front of the Oilers’ net could make it difficult for the viewers to decipher exactly what went down between Sam Bennett and the goalie. Naturally, skeptical thoughts about the officials’ call would be understandable. Let us clear things up for your convenience.

As per the NHL’s rules, “If an attacking player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by a defending player so as to cause him to come into contact with the goalkeeper, such contact will not be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.” Not clear still? We gotchu!

Video replay showed that Edmonton defenseman Brett Kulak was the one who initiated the contact as he got his skates entangled with the Florida Panthers’ forward. It was this reason why Bennett ultimately collided with Skinner. And that resulted in the Cats receiving the referees’ favor, while the Oilers got handed a minor penalty. Brad Marchand made the most of the man advantage and quickly put the Panthers in front with a wrist shot.

But did we really think that the Florida Panthers wouldn’t be making the most of Sam Bennett’s style with the ultimate prize on the line? That would be pretty naive of us. After all, the forward’s reputation precedes him. “Killer,” was what Sam Bennett’s former teammate, Steven Lorentz, described him as in May. Lorentz also admitted that the 28-year-old is “the perfect playoff player.” Just a day later, the Panthers’ #9 gave the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goalie, Anthony Stolarz, a concussion with an elbow hit. But all that aggression seems to be paying off rather well for Sam Bennett.

Sam Bennett enters the Florida Panthers’ history books

At the time of writing this piece, Game 1 between the Panthers and the Oilers has entered overtime, with both teams tied 3-3. However, whichever way the scales tip by the end of the match, one thing’s for sure: Sam Bennett will go down as a Cats legend. His first goal of the game, in the first period, was Bennett’s 11th postseason goal in Florida’s title defense campaign. Things only got sweeter after that.

With an assist from Nate Schmidt, Bennett put the puck past Skinner for the second time, marking his 12th playoff goal. And with that, Sam just became the highest-ever postseason goalscorer for the Panthers, surpassing Matthew Tkachuk and Verhaeghe, who had scored 11 postseason goals in 2023 and 2024, respectively. What a way to make the moment count and cement your place among your brethren!

It still remains to be seen how the remainder of the series pans out for Bennett. With his contract with Florida coming to an end this summer, Sam will become an unrestricted free agent soon. Naturally, with his scintillating skills on display all season, there is a lot of commotion as to where the Canadian could be headed next.

But first things first! What are your predictions for this year’s Stanley Cup Finals? Share your thoughts below!