Acquired at the trade deadline, Sam Bennett will make his debut when the Panthers close out their six-game road trip with a matchup against the rival Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Saturday.
Coming over from the Flames along with a 2022 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and the rights to forward prospect Emil Heineman, Bennett had posted four goals and eight assists while averaging 13:28 of ice time during 38 games with Calgary this season.
Preview: Bennett Set to Debut as Panthers Close Out Trip in Tampa
In his first game with the Panthers, however, those minutes should see a spike.
Put in a great position to succeed right off the bat, Bennett is expected to center the team's second line against the Bolts tonight, flanked by Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Duclair.
"We're looking forward to him playing hard and being that type of player that has some skill, has some up-and-down type of play," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "We want him to get comfortable out here and play his game. We'll reinforce how we need to play as we go along."
The fourth-overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Bennett arrives to the Panthers with plenty of experience despite being just 24 years old. Already in his seventh season, he's recorded 140 points (67 goals, 73 assists) in 402 career games, not including his stellar work in the playoffs.
In 30 career postseason contests, he's racked up 11 goals and eight assists.
"I've always been a guy that tends to get up for big games and elevate my game," Bennett said shortly after his trade to Florida was announced. "I love the style of playoff hockey. It's physical and it's fast. I think that compliments my game. I'm looking forward to the playoffs, for sure."
With the action starting to heat up as the home stretch approaches, the Panthers (27-15-5) are locked into a three-way battle for first place in the Central Division. As of right now, they trail the Lightning (29-12-2) and Hurricanes (28-10-4) by just a single point for a share of the top spot.
Coming up just short in their last outing, the Panthers fell by a score of 3-2 to the Lightning on a goal from Victor Hedman in overtime on Thursday. Despite the loss, they controlled play during much of the game, finishing with advantages in both shots (38-19) and scoring chances (23-18).
So, if not for an outstanding performance from Vezina Trophy front-runner Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped 36 of 38 shots, the Panthers believe the end result likely could've been different.
"Both the goalies played really well last game," Panthers forward Mason Marchment said. "It could've gone either way, but I think we controlled the pace for the most part. Let's bring the same effort, same work. We've got another new guy in the lineup tonight. It's going to be good."
Finding the back of the net for the Panthers in the loss were Duclair and Patric Hornqvist. In two games since returning from an injury, Duclair, looking no worse for wear, has posted two points.
Returning to the crease after backing up Chris Driedger on Thursday, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start against the Lightning tonight. Owning a 15-7-2 record with a .907 save percentage, the 32-year-old goaltender has gone 3-2-0 with a .924 save percentage in his last five appearances.
Manning the opposing cage, Vasilevskiy is expected to get the nod in net once again. Ranking first in the league in wins (26), the 26-year-old netminder has been operating at an incredibly high level as of late, going 5-1-0 on top of a shiny .941 save percentage in his last six starts.
Overall, the Lightning have won three of their last six games and have taken three of five games so far from the Panthers this season. Fresh off scoring his heroic goal, Hedman paces the team in scoring with 39 points, while Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat have each recorded 35 apiece.
"We leaked a little bit but our thought process and some of the things we have been working on, we did well at times and struggled at others,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after Thursday's game. "But we were down 2-1 in a big-time game, two pretty good hockey teams, and you find a way to tie and then win it in overtime. That's where I really liked our attitude on the bench.''
Tied with Point for first on the team in goals (17) and also sitting fourth in points (34), Steven Stamkos is expected to sit out his fourth straight game while dealing with a lower-body injury.
TEAM RECORDS
FLA:27-12-5, 59 PTS
TBL:29-12-2, 60 PTS
FLA all-time vs. TBL:68-48-10-17
PANTHERS NOTES
-- Aleksander Barkov leads Florida in goals (18) and shots on goal (133), while also ranking tied for first in points (44). Over his last 13 games, he's notched 17 points (10 goals, seven assists).
-- Jonathan Huberdeau ranks tied for first on the Panthers in scoring with 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists). In 36 career games against the Lightning, he's recorded 11 goals and 24 assists.
-- MacKenzie Weegar ranks tied for second among NHL defensemen in even-strength points with 23. Over his last seven games, he's notched five points to push his career-high total to 25.
-- Patric Hornqvist ranks fifth on the Panthers in goals (13), including seven on the power play. With just one more point, he will reach the 30-point plateau for the eighth consecutive season.
-- Radko Gudas leads Florida and ranks second in the NHL in hits with 195.
-- Frank Vatrano sits tied for third on the Panthers in goals with 14. He also leads the club in overtime goals (3) and game-winning goals (5). In his last eight games, he's posted four goals.
-- Markus Nutivaara has recorded a team-leading three assists over his last two games.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Mason Marchment - Aleksander Barkov - Nikita Gusev
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Anthony Duclair
Frank Vatrano - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Lucas Wallmark - Noel Acciari - Owen Tippett
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling - MacKenzie Weegar
Keith Yandle - Radko Gudas
Markus Nutivaara - Brandon Montour
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Chris Driedger
Scratches:Ryan Lomberg, Matt Kiersted, Noah Juulsen, Anton Stralman, Spencer Knight, Juho Lammikko, Eetu Luostarinen, Carter Verhaeghe (upper body)
Taxi squad: Kevin Connauton, Lucas Carlsson, Aleksi Heponiemi, Philippe Desrosiers, Brady Keeper
Injured reserve: Aaron Ekblad (lower body)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- April 14: D Brandon Montour and D Noah Juulsen were activated to Florida's active roster.
- April 13:F Sam Bennett and F Nikita Gusev were added to Florida's to active roster; F Anthony Duclair was activated from IR; F Lucas Wallmark and G Spencer Knight were recalled from the Taxi Squad; D Kevin Connauton was loaned to the Taxi Squad.
- April 12:The Panthers acquired F Sam Bennett and 2022 sixth-round pick from Calgary in exchange for F Emil Heineman and a 2022 second-round pick.
- April 11:The Panthers signed F Nikita Gusev to a one-year contract.
- April 10:Florida added D Brandon Montour from Buffalo in exchange for 2021 third-round pick; D Kevin Connauton was recalled from Taxi Squad and D Brady Keeper was loaned to the Taxi Squad.
- April 8:The Panthers acquired F Lucas Wallmark and D Lucas Carlsson from Chicago in exchange for F Brett Connolly, F Henrik Borgstrom, D Riley Stillman and a 2021 seventh-round pick.
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When:Saturday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where:Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
TV:Bally Sports Sun, ESPN+
Stream:
FOX Sports GO
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Streaming 932
Pre-Game Listen: Check out the first episode of "Around the NHL," featuring interviews with TSN's Ray Ferraro and ESPN's Emily Kaplan!
