Panthers’ Sam Bennett exits game with upper-body injury
The Florida Panthers suffered multiple losses in Monday’s 5-3 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres.
The team announced that center Sam Bennett left the game with an upper-body, and he did not return.
Florida Panthers Sam Bennett (upper body) won’t return tonight vs. Buffalo.
It’s unclear how or when Bennett suffered the injury, but he logged just five minutes and 11 seconds of ice time before exiting the game.
Bennett, 29, has 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 54 games played this season. He is third on the team in both goals and total points.
If Bennett stays out of Florida’s lineup for a significant length of time, it could prove to be an insurmountable loss for an already banged up Panthers team. Captain and usual first-line center Aleksander Barkov has missed the entire year so far, but is hopeful for a late-season return. Usual third-line center Anton Lundell remains out after suffering an upper-body injury on January 27th. Even center Tomas Nosek, likely penciled in as Florida’s fourth-line center coming into the year, as yet to play this season due to an offseason knee injury.
With 59 points on the year, the Panthers sit in a three-way tie for sixth place in the Atlantic Division. They are eight points back of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. If the Stanley Cup champions of the last two seasons are going to give themselves a chance to defend their title in the playoffs, they’ll need as many hands on deck as possible to go on an unlikely late-season run.
Bennett’s injury could not only affect Florida, but also the Canadian men’s national team. The Holland Landing, Ontario native was not initially selected to Canada’s roster for the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, but would be a strong candidate as a replacement should Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli be forced out with injury.