Sam Bennett at Center of Attention Again With Equalizing Goal

After the Florida Panthers lost home-ice advantage with a Game 1 loss against the Boston Bruins, the Cats got it right back with two wins at TD Garden in downtown Boston.

After Florida’s Game 4 win on Sunday, they have three chances – two at home – to finish off the Eastern Conference semifinals and set up a date with either the New York Rangers or Carolina Hurricanes.

After the Bruins got out to a 2-0 lead after the first period, the Panthers scored three unanswered goals from Anton Lundell, Sam Bennett, and Aleksander Barkov.

🗣️ LET'S GO HOME BABY!!!
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The Panthers outshot the Bruins 41-18.

Boogeyman Bennett

Sam Bennett will likely be on the minds of thousands of Bostonians all summer with the way this series has gone. In Game 3 – Bennett’s first game back since Game 2 of the first round – Bennett collided with Bruins captain Brad Marchand. The Bruins center ran up on Bennett and tried laying a hit on him after the Panthers center had already passed the puck away. Rather than connect on the hit, Marchand was the recipient of Bennett’s hand to his head, knocking him to the ground. Bennett maintains that the play was happening too fast for him to plan out a “sucker punch” that some Boston fans and media are alleging. Regardless, Marchand missed Game 4 with a concussion.

Marchand appeared to be in some pain after failing to hit Bennett https://t.co/JTKLtWzckj

— Alex Krutchik (@AlexKrutchikFOF) May 11, 2024

Bennett, meanwhile, was the subject of controversy again in Game 4.

Down 2-1 and on the power play with 16:20 left in the game, Bennett appeared to push Charlie Coyle into Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Just a couple of seconds later, Bennett tapped in a rebound for the equalizing goal.

While the play was challenged by Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery, the Toronto replay room deemed it a good goal.

Cardiac Cats

The Panthers haven’t needed to summon the spirit of the Cardiac Cats much this season. But it was nice to see they still have that muscle in there when they need it.

Florida was down by two goals against Swayman and the Bruins through the first 35 minutes of Game 3. 

Swayman stopped all 26 shots the Panthers threw at him before Panthers center Anton Lundell snapped a puck just inside the near-side post from the left faceoff circle.

Bennett’s power-play goal knotted it up at 2-2 just over four minutes into the final frame.

Barkov got the game-winning goal with 12:29 left in the game when he entered the offensive zone, sliced through three Boston skaters with the puck on his stick, and wristed a shot past Swayman.

SASHA BARKOV 😳

What an individual effort by the @FlaPanthers captain! #StanleyCup

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The Panthers defense constricted the Bruins in the final 20 minutes. The Bruins recorded just two shots on goal and just four scoring chances to Florida’s nine, per Natural Stat Trick.

“They got a good start,” Barkov said. “They scored a couple goals, and this is a tough building to play in, but we just stick with it. We liked how we played in the first period even though they had two goals. But we liked our chances. We just kept going, kept pushing and getting better.”