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Sam Bennett Fires Warning Shots at Stuart Skinner and the Oilers Following Crucial Game 2 Clash

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 2:48 PM ET

Sam Bennett has been physical with goaltenders all playoffs long, and after doing so in Game 2, he's sent a clear and direct message to Stuart Skinner as a result.

For the past few years, Sam Bennett has played on the edge for the Florida Panthers, and in the post-season it's clearly worked, as they are now in their third straight Stanley Cup Finals.

In the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs however, he's taken it to a different level, as he was involved in the Anthony Stolarz injury, and has since been in the goaltending crease of his opponents almost more than their goaltenders are.

It's worked however, as the series is now tied at 1-1, with the Panthers just three wins away from back-to-back Cup victories, and given how furious Edmonton Oilers fans and players get when he's on the ice, he's clearly doing his job.

After Game 2, Bennett was asked if he'd stop playing the way he has in the opponents goaltending crease, and unsurprisingly, he's going to stick with what works, sending a message to Stuart Skinner and the entire Oilers team in the process.

"No, that's where I am gonna be for the rest of the series"

Thus far in two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, Bennett has 3 goals and a +1 differential, and with just two penalty minutes in that time, the officials are clearly letting things go, so why would he change now.

With the dramatic OT winner from Brad Marchand on Friday night, this series is well and truly alive, and if Bennett can keep scoring and keep disrupting the opposing team, especially their goaltenders, it's going to be tough to slow down these Panthers as they look to go back-to-back in 2025.

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

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