EDGE stats: Bennett’s case for Conn Smythe Trophy with Panthers

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we look at the underlying metrics behind Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett’s case for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

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Sam Bennett has been the best goal scorer of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and, after the Florida Panthers' dominant performance in Game 3, is suddenly the leading Conn Smythe Trophy contender as most valuable player of the postseason.

Bennett, who will turn 29 years old on June 20 and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, leads the NHL with a Panthers-record 14 goals in 20 playoff games, including four in the first three games against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final, to help them take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 championship series rematch.

Bennett has set an NHL record for road goals (12) in a single postseason (surpassing Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele’s 11 from 2018), is riding a four-game goal streak (Florida playoff record) and leads the League in even-strength goals (10) this postseason. Bennett and teammate Brad Marchand (also has four goals in first three Cup Final games), became the second set of teammates in NHL history to each have three-game goal streaks to begin a Cup Final (other: Steve Payne, Dino Ciccarelli for Minnesota North Stars in 1981).

Bennett was acquired by the Panthers from the Calgary Flames in 2021 after being selected by his former team with the No. 4 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. He has made the playoffs in each of his first five seasons with Florida and played a key role during three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances. Elevating his game the later the season goes, Bennett has career averages of 0.49 points per game in the regular season, 0.73 in the playoffs and 0.80 in the Cup Final (12 points in 15 games).

Since hits were first tracked in 2005-06, no player has had double-digit goals and 100-plus hits in a single postseason. Bennett ranks second in the NHL in hits (97; behind Oilers forward Zach Hyman, 111) this postseason, and his goal-scoring and physicality have helped him build a unique case for playoff MVP for the defending champions.

Here are three underlying numbers behind Bennett’s postseason heroics:

1. High-danger goals, shots on goal by location

Bennett scored his goal in Game 3 from a high-danger area on a breakaway in the second period and is tied with Corey Perry of the Oilers for the NHL lead in high-danger goals (eight each) this postseason. The Panthers lead the League in high-danger goals (47) during the 2025 playoffs, ahead of the Oilers, who rank second (41).

Bennett is also second in high-danger shots on goal (24 in 20 games) during the playoffs behind Edmonton center Connor McDavid (26 in 19 games) and ranks third in the League in shots on goal overall (60) behind McDavid (72) and Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard (61).

2. Speed bursts, skating distance

Bennett brings plenty of speed in addition to his scoring and physicality, making him the complete package so far this postseason. He ranks highly in 20-plus mph speed bursts (45; tied for seventh in entire NHL) and total skating distance (62.14 miles; eighth in League); three of those 20-plus mph speed bursts came in Game 3, tied with forward Carter Verhaeghe for the most on the team. Among forwards, Bennett ranks third in even-strength skating distance (55.05 miles) during the playoffs behind McDavid (66.11 miles) and Leon Draisaitl (57.39 miles).

3. Goals off the rush, “Goals Above Projected”

NHL EDGE IQ, powered by Amazon Web Services, uses "Projected Goal Rate" (PGR) to estimate the likelihood of a shot attempt becoming a goal. The Actual Goal Rate (AGR) of all shots this season across the League is 5.1 percent. For context, anything at or above a PGR of 12.0 percent is considered a high-probability attempt. Inferenced shot attempts exclude shots greater than 60 feet, those beyond the goal line and empty-net attempts.

Bennett has four inferenced shot attempts with a PGR of at least 12.0 percent in this series, the third most in the entire NHL behind Draisaitl and Marchand (five each). Bennett has been opportunistic by scoring on three of those four high-probability attempts:

• 1st period of Game 1: Shot saved by Stuart Skinner (PGR: 12.63 percent)
• 2nd period of Game 1: Goal scored off the rush (PGR: 20.72 percent)
• 1st period of Game 2: Power-play goal scored off offensive zone play (PGR: 29.28 percent)
• 2nd period of Game 3: Goal scored off the rush (PGR: 16.91 percent)

Two of Bennett’s four goals in the Cup Final, including the one in Game 3, came off the rush which is defined by NHL EDGE IQ as a goal that occurs within five seconds of the puck crossing the offensive blue line. Bennett leads all players this postseason with five goals off the rush on inferenced shot attempts; no other skater has more than three such goals.

Among the 95 inferenced shot attempts by Bennett this postseason, his actual goal rate (10.53 percent) far exceeds his PGR (5.62 percent), given the goalie's positioning, puck movement and traffic at the time of release.

In terms of “Projected Goals,” or the sum of projected goal rate across all of a player’s attempts (assessment of quantity and quality; average PGR times inferenced shot attempts), Bennett was projected to score 5.34 times (.0562 times 95 inferenced shot attempts) but has exceeded that projection with 10 goals on those inferenced shot attempts. Bennett’s mark of 4.66 “Goals Above Projected” (GAP) this postseason leads the NHL among skaters who are in the 50th percentile and above of shot attempts.

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More EDGE stats on Bennett