Bennett returns from upper-body injury for Panthers against Rangers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Sam Bennett returned from an upper-body injury for the Florida Panthers against the New York Rangers at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday.

The 28-year-old center was initially expected to remain out until the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which begin Saturday. Bennett was injured during a 3-0 loss at the Ottawa Senators on April 5.

“He is 100 percent, and he got himself to that point,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said after the morning skate. “We had a little time, and that was just a buffer for me. There was a chance he would not get to 100 percent for two or three more days, but he is ready, he is skating and he wants to play. He feels that playing is far better for him than not, so, he plays. If there is any lingering concern, you don’t play.”

Bennett, who has 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 74 games, centered the Panthers’ second line alongside Jesper Boqvist and Evan Rodrigues.

Dmitry Kulikov, who has been out since sustaining an upper-body injury in a collision with New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair on March 16, also returned. The 34-year-old defenseman has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) and is plus-13 in 68 games while averaging 19:17 of ice time.

Maurice was asked if it’s important to get injured players back in the lineup before the start of the playoffs.

“I think with these older guys, the answer is no,” Maurice said. “They will tell you that it will, but from my experience, the older they get, the more they know their game. Both [Kulikov and Bennett] know exactly what a playoff game is going to feel like.

“There is no newness to this. Even if their hands aren’t perfect, it really doesn’t matter, especially with the way we play.”

The Panthers (47-29-4) are third in the Atlantic Division, two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. Florida will finish third if it loses in regulation Monday, which means it would not have home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference First Round.

Maurice has been resting some of his top players over the past 10 days, with the likes of center Aleksander Barkov and forward Sam Reinhart missing a 3-2 shootout win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

Barkov and Reinhart played Monday, but Florida’s projected third line in the playoffs of Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen did not.

Rookie forward Mackie Samoskevich was also out Monday.

Maurice said the Panthers would not rest players for their regular-season finale Tuesday at the Lightning (7:30 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, ESPN, SN360, TVAS) if they still have a chance to finish second in the Atlantic.

Tampa Bay (46-26-8) plays its regular-season finale Thursday at the Rangers.

“Anyone who could play in the back-to-back has already sat out a game,” Maurice said, adding that rest for certain players was needed during a run of seven games in 11 days. “We got them out of the 7-in-11, and that was the whole point of this. Barkov can play in the back-to-back; so can [defenseman Gustav] Forsling if we need him to.”