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Panthers Scramble to Defend Sam Bennett After Brutal Elbow on Stolarz

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 6, 2025 8:42 AM ET

The Florida Panthers fell in Game 1 against Toronto, but the main is the dirty hit thrown by Sam Bennett, and now, the team are scrambling to defend him.

Game 1 between the bitter rival Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs had it all from plenty of scoring to big hits and even late drama, but the story of the game coming out of this one is the illegal hit thrown by Sam Bennett on goaltender Anthony Stolarz.

In the second period, with Stolarz already reeling from a shot that whipped his facemask off, Bennett took a shot to the back of his head, and it led to Stolarz leaving the game and the arena on a stretcher.

Unsurprisingly, fans called out the veteran Panthers forward, because this certainly isn't the first time we've seen this, as he did something similar to now teammate Brad Marchand a year ago in their matchup with the Boston Bruins.

Now, the Panthers are trying to protect their star centre, as Paul Maurice and the organization did not make him available to the media on Monday night after Game 1, protecting him from any potential scrutiny that could come his way from this situation.

Those fans that called Bennett out for the hit weren't quiet in the replies on social media either, stating that if you can hit a player the way he did, you should be forced to face the music and answer questions from the media about it.

With Game 2 a must-win for both teams to wrestle control of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals series, the hope for Florida will be that Bennett can be available, but with the NHL's Department of Player Safety likely getting in contact with him, we'll see if the hiding is over for the veteran forward.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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