SUNRISE, Fla. -- Everything one needs to understand about Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett as a Stanley Cup playoffs juggernaut was epitomized by one shift in their Game 3 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
It began with a backcheck. It continued with a thundering hit on Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin right after he released the puck -- brutal, legal. Podkolzin had made a short pass to Edmonton defenseman John Klingberg, so Bennett hit him, too. He kept fighting for the puck along the boards before attempting a clear that was intercepted briefly, before Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen jarred it loose.