Matthew Tkachuk didn’t play a single regular-season game for the Panthers since sustaining an injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off. However, he has really come into his own since making his way back to the lineup in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning—scoring 16 points (5 goals and 11 assists) since then. In fact, when the Panthers found themselves trailing 2-0 in Game 5 against the Hurricanes on Wednesday, it was his second-period power play goal that fueled their comeback. Meanwhile, the Panthers’ surprise deadline acquisition, Brad Marchand, also hasn’t taken much time to settle in.
With 14 points in 17 playoff games, Marchand is tied for fourth on the Panthers’ postseason scoring leaderboard, having led all skaters in points in the second-round series against the Leafs. But as impressive as these two stars have been, the Panthers’ success this year cannot be credited to a couple of players alone. After all, in just the playoffs, they’ve had 19 different skaters chip in with at least one goal. Really, if there’s one team that can give the Professional Hockey Writers Association a tough time in selecting the Conn Smythe awardee from among their ranks, it’s the Florida Panthers. But for Hurricanes legend Jeff O’Neill, the choice is clear, and it’s Sam Bennett.
Over the last five games, Bennett has posted 7 points, including a standout 3-point night in a road game against Carolina. His overall playoff performance has him at 16 points. While it’s the same as Matthew Tkachuk, 10 of those points have come from goals, of which four have been game-winning ones. In fact, Bennett was equally impressive in the regular season as well, finishing with 25 goals—second only to Sam Reinhart. That being said, Reinhart’s postseason goal tally of 4 has some catching up to do with Bennett’s. No wonder O’Neill had such high praise for him.
In a recent OverDrive discussion, the panel dissected the Florida Panthers’ playoff form and Carolina’s Game 4 response. And TSN hosts Bryan Hayes and Jeff O’Neill were playing their favorite game, ‘Confirm or Deny,’ on the Overdrive program, shared on YouTube on May 27. When host Bryan Hayes asked O’Neill to confirm or deny whether there was a clear-cut Conn Smyth favorite on the Florida Panthers team, the former NHL star didn’t hesitate: “Yeah, it’s Sam Bennett. Confirm it. I’ll confirm it’s Sam Bennett.” Hayes seemed shocked at the choice, but O’Neill stuck to his guns nonetheless.
Source: Instagram/Sam Bennett
“I don’t even think it’s close, to be honest with you,” he continued. “It’s not Barkov ripping it home every night, or Reinhardt hasn’t played and hasn’t been scoring.” Even though Captain Aleksander Barkov is sitting at the top of the Florida Panthers’ postseason points leaderboard this year with 17 points, only 6 of them have come from goals. Meanwhile, Bennett has already bettered his postseason tally from 2023 (15 points) and from the Cup-winning run last year (14 points). No wonder Paul Maurice thinks of him as the embodiment of the “prototypical Florida Panther identity.”
That being said, as strong a candidate as he is for the Conn Smythe Trophy, it’s not going to be easy laying hands on it.
The Florida Panthers star has some serious competition
Despite Sam Bennett’s playoff brilliance, the Conn Smythe Trophy race remains wide open due to standout performances across the board. Connor McDavid, unsurprisingly, tops the odds list. He leads the NHL playoffs in points with 24 and is the narrative center of Edmonton’s revenge arc after last year’s Finals heartbreak. Voters may find it hard to overlook McDavid’s leadership and offensive dominance even if Florida wins. That storyline alone keeps him at the top of MVP conversations.
On the Panthers’ side, Sergei Bobrovsky is a major threat in the MVP race. His .911 save percentage and 2.11 GAA are backed by clutch goaltending that’s limited Carolina to just four goals through the first three games of the Eastern Conference Final. Hayes’ and O’Neill’s argument in the podcast wasn’t just about numbers. The podcast also touched on how this Panther squad thrives under pressure. They downplayed Carolina’s Game 4 win, arguing that Florida, led by usual suspects like Bennett, would shut the door in Game 5, and that’s pretty much exactly what happened.
But as dominant as the Panthers have been, there’s no reason to count the Oilers out. And if the Oilers do manage to exact revenge, it’s almost certain that Sam Bennett would miss out on the Conn Smythe. But even if they don’t, do you think Bennett has a legitimate chance? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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