Sam Bennett anchors the Florida Panthers identity

After that nightmare loss in Carolina, Florida needed a calm driver, not more noise. Bennett played like the metronome, steady shifts, smart touches, and a mean streak that never crossed into sloppy.

The stat line tells you plenty, one goal, two assists, plus-three, five shots, and 20:22 of ice time in a 5-2 win. He even took First Star, which felt pretty obvious watching it live.

His tying goal was classic Bennett, planted in the slot, spun off traffic, and snapped it through before Washington could reset. No windup, no drama, just a finish that changed the game's temperature.

He's sitting on 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points, which puts him right around a 1.05 points per game pace and has him tracking close to 40 goals over a full season.

What jumps out is the finishing, a 14.8 percent shooting rate that's well above his career norm of about 10.6 percent, so he's converting chances at a noticeably higher clip without losing what makes him effective.

The other piece is the edge, because 84 hits says he's still playing that heavy, straight-line style while producing offense, which is exactly what you want from a second-line driver when games tighten up.

As a fan, you trust him because the game never looks too big for him.

Bennett also fed A.J. Greer on the opener, jumping on a loose puck sequence and turning crease chaos into a clean slot look.

Later, he grabbed another assist on the empty-net closer, still tracking the right play even with the finish line in sight.

What gets missed around the league is how controlled his chaos really is. He hits, he hunts pucks, he wins inside ice, then he makes the simple pass that keeps Florida in attack mode.

Even the little stuff matters, and his usage shows the trust. He logged power-play time, killed penalties, and stayed involved shift after shift, the kind of center every team wants when a game tightens up.

For years, the "book" on Bennett was simple: he'll hit you, he'll annoy you, and he'll score a greasy goal in May.

But over the last 40 contests, Bennett has rewritten that script.

Respect should follow players like this, because reliable middle-ice hockey is priceless. Bennett isn't just a points guy, he's a tone guy, and Florida looks tougher when he's dialed in.

If the Panthers keep getting this version of Bennett, the next milestone is simple, stack another honest win and let the league catch up to what he really is.