“It’s going to be a good battle again,” said the Florida Panthers’ Anton Lundell when talking about the rematch against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals. And yet, all that excitement from the Cats’ camp got dealt a hard hand when the two Goliaths met on the ice at Rogers Place earlier today. However, it was not for the lack of effort from Sam Bennett and co.. In fact, at one point, Kris Knoblauch thought that they had gone a little too overboard at one point, and he wasn’t pleased.
Sam Bennett’s extra awareness in front of the Oilers’ net helped the defending champions even the scoreline just minutes after Leon Draisaitl gave the hosts the lead in Game 1. However, Knoblauch wasn’t happy with how the goal had been scored.
The Daily Faceoff‘s Jason Gregor took to X on June 4 to share what the Edmonton coach had to say about Sam Bennett’s first-period goal. At 10:49 of the 1st, Bennett deflected Carter Verhaeghe’s shot on the goal to send Stuart Skinner the wrong way and tie the score to 1-1. However, it seemed like the Canadian forward had almost intentionally bumped into the Oilers’ netminder to hoodwink the latter. Naturally, Kris Knoblauch challenged that.
“I would challenge that any day. I was told he was tripped, but from what I’ve seen this year if that play happens again I’d challenge it again,” Gregor’s social media update revealed how the seasoned coach wasn’t on board with the way Bennett’s got the Panthers back on level terms. And yet, the coach himself made it clear as to he understood why the goal was allowed to stand.
“I would challenge that any day. I was told he was tripped, but from what I’ve seen this year if that play happens again I’d challenge it again,” Knoblauch on Bennett goal.
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) June 5, 2025
After the Oilers challenged Sam Bennett’s first goal of the night, video replay showed that it was, in fact, Edmonton’s Brett Kulak who initiated the collision and tripped the Cats’ forward. That resulted in Sam bumping into Skinner, and ultimately wriggling out a much-needed goal. However, it’s not like Knoblauch was the only one who didn’t initially catch what exactly had gone down in from of the Oilers’ net.
Former NHL goalie Martin Biron was also left stunned after seeing Bennett’s goal. “League doesn’t want to call back goals unless in very obvious. I don’t like this being called a good goal,” said the former Philadelphia Flyers netminder via an X post. Thankfully, though, Knoblauch and Biron’s agitation would be soothed by the fact that Sam’s controversial moment didn’t ultimately get the better of the Oilers.
Despite leading the game 3-1, Viktor Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm found the net twice to nullify the Panthers’ advantage and send things into overtime. Leon Draisatl ultimately found Connor McDavid’s pass and made it count by landing the winning goal of the match (his second of the night). With today’s loss, Paul Maurice also got handed a special heartbreak.
Before tonight, Panthers coach Paul Maurice boasted a 31-0 record when going into the 2nd or 3rd period of playoff games with a lead. The Edmonton Oilers put a swift end to that, and even went on social media to throw a shade at the storied Florida coach. However, even on the night that saw Coach Maurice’s unique streak break, Sam Bennett still had something to smile about.
Sam Bennett’s seminal feat on the night the Panthers were subdued
The 28-year-old hockey star has had a great season so far. He had already been leading the NHL in postseason goals this year, but tonight, things were extra special. Sam Bennett’s first-period goal was his 11th of the postseason. With the next, the Panthers’ #9 blitzed into the history books. With 12 playoff goals to his name, Sam is now Florida’s all-time leading postseason goalscorer!
April 22, 2025, Tampa, Florida, USA: Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk 19 skates over to celebrate the goal of Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett 9 during the first period in game one of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 in Tampa. Tampa USA – ZUMAs70_ 20250422_zan_s70_004 Copyright: xLuisxSantanax
Bennett surpassed both Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, both of whom had 11 postseason goals to their names in 2023 and 2024, respectively. And yet, obviously, his efforts went in vain. But ups and downs are part and parcel of the game, and Sam knows it only too well. “We can learn some things from tonight and then we’re just going to move on. I think just not let up. Don’t sit back,” the Panthers star made it clear after the match that the journey to redemption begins now.
Well, he does have a lot of things to be hopeful about, too. Sergei Bobrovsky, the Florida goalie, made 42 saves, including the first nine shots on goal in OT. Along with Bennett, Brad Marchand also got his name on the scoresheet with a wrist shot in the 1st period. But can that form be more fruitful when the action resumes in two days’ time? Share your thoughts with us!
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