Following Game 2, Panthers' Sam Bennett made some comments about how he will be parked in front of Stuart Skinner going forward, which is adding to the drama.
The front of the net is always a disaster, no matter the sport. With soccer, you're either pushing to score or frantically trying not to.
Hockey's no different, and in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and Oilers at Rogers Place, the battle in the crease was in the spotlight.
It was the Panthers who earned the victory with the two sides trading punches in a hard, physical game that reached double overtime tied 4-4.
Perhaps the most dramatic moment of the game came at the hands of Sam Bennett, both for what he did and for what was done to him. Bennett, typically the instigator, was also on the receiving end of it when he smashed into Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner in the first period.
Bennett received a two-minute minor for goalie interference on a wild crash in front of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.
When Mattias Ekholm was sliding in to hit Bennett, he attempted to jam on the brakes, but his momentum sent him into Bennett and into Skinner, who crashed down. Some did call it intentional, as Bennett knew exactly what he was doing.
Skinner seemed shaken but stayed in the net the rest of the game. Bennett, meanwhile, even in the case where he didn't initiate the contact, couldn't escape from criticism, or from the penalty box.
And then again, count on Sam Bennett to never shy away from the fire. He revealed that no matter what, he is going to continue to remain in front of the net, which could lead to more plays like the one we saw.
'No, that's where I'm gonna be (in front of the net) for the rest of the series.'- Sam Bennett
That is definitely not music to the ears of Skinner or any of the Oilers players and their fans, for that matter. Game 3 goes Monday night in South Florida, with the puck set to drop just after 8 PM ET.
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