As long as he's able to play the game the way he does, Sam Bennett is every bit as valuable to the Florida Panthers in the playoffs as a superstar NHL player, says Ken Campbell.
If somebody asked you where Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett sits among the NHL's penalty minute leaders in the playoffs going into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, would you say top 20? Top 10?
How about tied for 57th with, among others, Connor McDavid? In fact, Bennett doesn't even have the most PIM among guys on his team named Sam. Sam Reinhart has 12, and Bennett has eight.
The fact remains that the way the game is called in the NHL playoffs makes Bennett a very, very valuable player. As long as he's allowed to punish with impunity a lot of the time, he has the ability to be a difference-maker. And he's a huge reason the Panthers can taste their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
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