Sam Bennett scored power-play goals late in each of the first two periods, Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves and the short-handed Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Thursday night for their seventh victory in eight games.

Sam Bennett is going to be a coveted free agent come July 1, and with the Maple Leafs a top contender for him, he's opened up about possibly coming aboard.

TORONTO -- Sam Bennett scored two power-play goals for the Florida Panthers in a 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. “It was a big game, it’s two teams that definitely could meet in the playoffs,” Bennett said. “That was a playoff-like game.”

The game had a playoff feel with first place in the Atlantic Division at stake and had some chippy moments. Florida is first, four points ahead of Toronto after the victory.

Sam Bennett continues to prosper from his Four Nations Faceoff experience with Canada and the absence of stud Florida Panthers teammate Matthew Tkachuk.

Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers) with a Goal vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 03/13/2025