Sam Bennett, Fittingly, Sets the Tone vs. Bruins

Sam Bennett set the tone for the Florida Panthers, scoring two goals and riling up the Boston Bruins in typical fashion to lead them to an opening-night win.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Sam Bennett did not make too many friends in Boston during last year’s Stanley Cup run.

The bruising power forward got under the Bruins skin last year via a litany of big hits, including one that injured captain Brad Marchand.

“I mean, that’s hockey,” Bennett said with a chuckle. “We play an intense style of hockey and they’re gonna play hard. They’re a proud team over there and that’s just part of the game.”

Which was why it was fitting that right after the Florida Panthers raised their Stanley Cup banner to the rafters, it was Sam Bennett who set the tone in a 6-4 season-opening win over Boston with his physical brand of hockey and two goals to boot.

In the process, the gloves seemed to be flying off pretty quickly as massive scrum after massive scrum built up.

“We will always have those games with Boston,” coach Paul Maurice said. “That those players, and they have them on the other side too, are the deciding factors in game.”

After an A.J. Greer fight kicked the intensity meter up to 11 early on, Bennett got the Panthers on the board in an environment he thrives in: The dirty areas.

Bennett muscled his way to the front of the net and batted home the fluttering rebound of an Evan Rodrigues shot to put the Panthers on the board 6:27 into the game.

Just over 24 hours after owner Vinny Viola called Bennett the “soul of the team” during the team’s private ring ceremony, the rest of the team followed suit.

“He is such an important part of what we do,” coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s fast, he’s heavy and he’s got finishing hands. He can make plays, too, so go to the net hard and it’s always a good idea.”

Eetu Luostarinen crashed the front of the net and poked in an Anton Lundell rebound 1:04 later to give the Panthers a two-goal lead.

It was the second of four goals the Panthers scored from near the net-front.

After both teams traded shorthanded goals, Bennett cashed in with his second from his proverbial office.

Exactly one minute after Sam Reinhart restored Florida’s two-goal lead with a wicked backhand move on a shorthanded rush, ‘Playoff Benny’ got right back to work.

Bennett potted home an A.J. Greer rebound with 26 seconds to go in the first period to cap off a four-goal first period and kill off just about any hope Boston had at making a comeback.

“This was his type of game,” Rodrigues said. “It was a playoff-type game. That was what it felt like. They call him Playoff Benny for a reason, and he stepped up and played like he usually doess”

Jonah Gadjovich tacked on a fifth goal 9:12 into the second period to put the game out of reach.

The Bruins had their runs — Charlie McAvoy tacked on a goal with 6:28 to go in the second period to put them within a goal going into the third period — but they would never get close enough.

Rodrigues made it a 6-2 game 6:26 into the third period, firing a wrist shot from the slot past Jonas Korpisalo before Bennett came barreling at him seconds later.

And, of course, that upset the Bruins and set off some fireworks.

“Both teams, we both play hard,” Gadjovich said. “Obviously, that competitiveness comes out and rivalries are made between good teams that play hard. I think that’s been brewing here for a couple years now.”

The Bruins made one final comeback attempt, tacking on two goals in the final 3:09 of the game, but the Panthers closed things out in their typical scrappy fashion and won their home opener in front of a sold out Amerant Bank Arena crowd.

And, in turn, quelling any conversation about a possible Stanley Cup hangover.

“We didn’t really talk about whatever… hangover…” Bennett said. “We were just focused on getting back to our style of hockey and doing the things that gave us success for the last couple years. So, we did a great job of it right off the start.”