FORT LAUDERDALE – Sam Bennett could be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice announced on Tuesday.
With just five games left until the playoffs, the Panthers, who punched their ticket last week, will host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
“I just don’t think he’s going back in,” Maurice said of Bennett’s status following morning skate at Baptist Health IcePlex. “We’re going to take the time for the rest of the season.”
Dealing with an upper-body injury, Bennett already missed Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Detroit.
In the midst of a breakout season, the 28-year-old forward has already achieved a new career-high in points (50) and also currently ranks second on the Panthers in goals (25).
Looking to defend their Stanley Cup, the Panthers want No. 9 at full health for the playoffs.
“We can manage it, but he can’t play the game at its best,” Maurice said when asked about the state of Bennett’s injury. “He can play, but we’ve got to get him as close to right and 100% as we can. We think we might be able to do that, but we’ve got to do that off ice.”
Thankfully, the Panthers shot down any notion of “Playoff Sam” not being ready for Game 1.
"No," Maurice said. "None, zero."
While Bennett won’t be available, Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling, who both also sat out Sunday’s loss to the Red Wings, are expected to return to action against the Maple Leafs.
Missing the last three games with an upper-body injury, captain Aleksander Barkov will also return.
“It’s nice this time of year when you get that many bodies out there,” Reinhart said of players healing up for the playoffs. “Especially guys that have been out for quite some time, when you start to see them coming back, it provides a spark you want at this time of year.”
As for Florida’s other injured players, Maurice provided the below updates.
Dmitry Kulikov (upper body): The stalwart defenseman joined the team for morning skate on Tuesday and is expected to play in at least one game before the end of the regular season. “Round into this weekend toward the end,” Maurice said.
Matthew Tkachuk (lower body): Out since the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, the superstar forward skated prior to Tuesday’s morning skate and continues to make good progress in his rehab. Right now, the Panthers still hope for him to return in the first round of the playoffs. "There’s nothing new there,” Maurice said.” He’s trending.”
Nico Sturm (upper body): Out the last three games, the fourth-line pivot was on the ice for Tuesday's morning skate and could be back in the lineup as early as Thursday’s tilt with Detroit. “He cleared today,” Maurice said. “I wanted him on the ice with the big group of guys to get through it, get a hard workout.”
