Panthers announce discouraging injury update

Injuries have emerged as a recurring issue for numerous teams in the early stages of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and unfortunately, the Florida Panthers are the latest team to confront such adversity.

The Panthers received a boost as they successfully withstood a comeback attempt by the Tampa Bay Lightning in last night's Game 2 of their Round 1 series. Carter Verhaeghe continued his overtime dominance by securing the game-winning goal early in the extra session, propelling his team to a two-game lead in the series.

However, the victory didn't come without loss. Forward Sam Bennett, who scored Florida's first goal of the game in the opening 20 minutes, won't be playing any time soon. He was struck with a shot in the wrist by teammate Brandon Montour, and was seen exiting the ice and throwing his glove in frustration. 

According to head coach Paul Maurice earlier today, the injury isn't as severe as they initially feared, but it's significant enough to keep him out of the lineup for at least a week, meaning he'll miss at a minimum the next two games in Tampa Bay as the series shifts to Amalie Arena for Games 3 and 4.

In the 69 games played during the regular season for Bennett, he scored 20 goals while adding 21 assists. During last year's run to the Stanley Cup Final, Bennett contributed five goals and 10 assists, along with 60 PIM. 

Game 3 of the series is tomorrow night starting at 7:00 PM EST. 

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