Sam Bennett Reinjured in Season Debut; Panthers Fall to Bruins

Boston, MA – It was a short return for Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett on Monday in his regular-season debut as he reinjured his leg. After sustaining a lower-body injury in a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 5, the 27-year-old took the ice for the first time, on the road against the Boston Bruins Monday night. 

With 13 minutes left in the second period, Bennett appeared to sustain an injury on his left leg when he got wrapped up with Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who fell and landed on Bennett’s leg. 

Here is the injury to Sam Bennett. Appears to be his left ankle. Just awful to see. pic.twitter.com/roNaAOXtb7

— David Dwork (@DavidDwork) October 31, 2023

The Panthers’ second-line center had to be helped off the ice by a trainer and did not put any weight on that leg.

Bennett was officially ruled out of the game during the second intermission. After the game, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said Bennett was walking around in the locker room. “We’ll look at him tomorrow,” Maurice told media post-game. “Fortunately we’ve got a couple days here. He was walking around after, but we won’t know until tomorrow.”

Bennett had 7:54 of ice time and registered one shot before his injury, playing center on a line with Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk.

Last season, Bennett recorded 16 goals and 24 assists in 63 games.

The Panthers lost Monday’s game, 3-2, in overtime. Their next game is 7 p.m. Thursday at the Detroit Red Wings.

📸 Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports