The NHL reportedly won’t give Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett supplemental discipline after a controversial hit on Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz.
It was another physical play from a Panthers team whose competitive style walks the line between acceptable and unacceptable. Many people saw Bennett’s hit on Stolarz as completely unacceptable and reckless behavior. But as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and the Athletic's Chris Johnston reported, Bennett likely won't even have to pay a fine or miss a game.
It’s no wonder Florida sticks with that style.
The Panthers have already been punished for other reckless hits in these playoffs. Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad was suspended two playoff games for a hit on Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel in Game 4 of their first-round series, while Florida defenseman Nikko Mikkola was fined for boarding Lightning center Zemgus Girgensons. That didn’t stop Bennett from getting physical in pursuit of the puck and making contact with Stolarz’s head.
Florida’s robust physical play is part of its identity. The Panthers led the NHL in hits with 2,446 – 233 more hits than the next-most physical team. The Panthers were also the most penalized team in the NHL, with 853 penalty minutes.
Florida coach Paul Maurice knows what his team should do to win games when they matter most. If the Panthers win games by playing overly aggressively without receiving harsher penalties that curb reckless plays, you can’t completely fault them for employing that style of play.
Bennett came out Tuesday and said there was no intent to injure Stolarz, that he reached out to the goaltender afterward, that he didn’t notice he made contact with him until later and didn't believe there was much force. That’s all fine and dandy – and as a side point, it would’ve been nice to see Bennett face media accountability Monday night after the game instead of taking the easy way out and waiting until Tuesday.
Stolarz was pulled after this collision with Bennett https://t.co/Xns4P1VzVdpic.twitter.com/CxWuBJlFW6
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 6, 2025
But the reality Stolarz was injured, whether it was by a shot to the mask earlier in the action, by the hit or by both, and all NHL players are supposed to be in control of themselves on the ice, regardless of intention.
That hit won’t help his reputation as someone who walks the line between acceptable and non-acceptable play and occasionally crosses it. The next time something like this happens with Bennett, the NHL will have a hard time ignoring it.
Leafs coach Craig Berube clearly didn’t see Bennett’s hit as acceptable, telling media it was “clear as day” an elbow to the head. But again, imagining the Panthers are going to shy away from contact is dreaming in technicolor.
This is who they are and who they’ve been built to be, and it could be a safety concern. Unless something drastically changes, their opponents will have to be careful not to get sucked into their play and to protect themselves.
'Elbow To The Head. Clear As Day': Will Sam Bennett Be Suspended For His Hit On Leafs' Anthony Stolarz?We'll find out very soon whether or not the NHL will impose supplemental discipline on Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers.
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