FORT LAUDERDALE – Sam Bennett could be on the sidelines for the remainder of the regular season, Florida Panthers manager Paul Maurice announced Tuesday.
With only five playoff games left, the Panthers, who punched tickets last week, will be holding the Toronto Maple Leafs at Amerant Bank Arena at 7pm on Tuesday.
“I don’t think he’ll be back,” Maurice said of Bennett’s status following his morning skating at the Baptist Health Iceplex. “We’re going to spend the rest of the season.”
Dealing with an upper body injury, Bennett has already missed Sunday’s 2-1 defeat in Detroit.
In the midst of a breakout season, the 28-year-old forward has already achieved a new career high in points (50) and is still ranked second (25) for the Panthers in goal.
Aiming to defend their Stanley Cup, the Panthers hope for a ninth place in perfect health for the playoffs.
“We can manage that, but he can’t play the game at his best,” Maurice said when asked about Bennett’s injury condition. “He can play, but we have to get him as far as we can, 100% closer to the right. I think we might be able to do that, but we have to do that from the ice.”
Thankfully, the Panthers shot down the concept of a “playoff sam” that is not ready for Game 1.
“No,” Maurice said. “No, zero.”
Bennett is not available, but both Sam Reinhart and Gustav Foring are expected to return to action against the Maple Leafs after losing to the Red Wings on Sunday.
Captain Alexander Barkov is also returning after missing the final three games with an upper body injury.
“It’s nice to have a lot of bodies there during this time,” Reinhardt said of players who are soothed by the playoffs. “Especially those who have been out for quite some time offer the spark you want at this time of year, especially when they start to see them come back.”
Regarding other injured players in Florida, Maurice provided the following updates:
Dmitry Kulikov (Upper Body): Stalwart Defenseman will join the team for morning skates on Tuesday and will play at least one game by the end of the regular season. “I’ve curled up this weekend towards the end,” Maurice said.
Matthew Tkachuk (lower body): Since the four nation showdown in February, the superstar has been skating before Tuesday morning skating and has been on track to keep his rehabilitation going. Now the Panthers still hope he will return in the first round of the playoffs. “There’s nothing new there,” Maurice said. “He’s trending. ”
Nico Sturm (Upper Body): In the final three games, the fourth line pivot was on the ice for skating on Tuesday morning, allowing us to return to leaps against Detroit on Thursday. “He cleared it today,” Maurice said. “I wanted him to get through it on the ice and do some tough training.”
