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Panthers Forward Sets NHL Playoff Record

One Florida Panthers forward has been an absolute monster on the road this postseason.

Jon Alfano

Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett leaves the ice after warm up prior to the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett leaves the ice after warm up prior to the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes. / James Guillory-Imagn Images
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The Florida Panthers have been road warriors this postseason, boasting an 8-3 away record and outscoring their opponents 51-24.

While the Panthers' general play away from home has been incredibly impressive, no one has embodied that road warrior mentality more than forward Sam Bennett. The 28-year-old leads the league with 13 goals this postseason, all but one of which have come on the road.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Bennett set a new NHL record by scoring his 12th road goal of the playoffs in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. Bennett got the Panthers opened the scoring with a power play goal just 2:07 into the first period.

Bennett, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames, scored a career-high 51 points (25 goals, 26 assists) in the regular season. Now with a monster playoff run, he's playing the best hockey of his career, and at the perfect time too.

The Holland Landing, Ontario, native is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and if he wasn't already one of the top forwards on the market, then he certainly is now. He's in line for a massive contract in just a few weeks, be it from the Panthers or (more likely) another team.

The Panthers trail 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Final after losing Game 1 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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