SUNRISE, Fla. – Sam Bennett sealed the Florida Panthers’ victory in dramatic fashion, netting his second goal of the night in overtime to secure a 2-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday.
Bennett’s game-winner came 4:18 into the extra period, set up by Brad Marchand, who found him near the left circle. With a slick backhand shot, Bennett lifted Florida to their seventh consecutive home win.
“It was a great setup by [Marchand],” Bennett said. “I just had to be in the right spot, and it’s always nice to finish it off in front of our fans.”
Marchand, making his return after recovering from an upper-body injury, played a key role in the win. The veteran forward, who spent 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins, had been practicing with the Panthers since March 11 before stepping back onto the ice.
Playoff Implications for Utah
While the overtime loss earned Utah one point, they now trail St. Louis by nine points for the final Western Conference wild-card playoff spot with nine games remaining.
Despite the loss, Utah coach Andre Tourigny was pleased with his team’s resilience after suffering a lopsided 8-0 defeat against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
“Much better effort tonight,” Tourigny said. “[Karel Vejmelka] was outstanding in goal, and our compete level was there. It’s disappointing to come up short, but we played hard.”
Game Summary
The Panthers struck first, with Bennett scoring a power-play goal in the second period off a cross-ice pass from Aleksander Barkov.
Utah responded early in the third, tying the game 1-1 at 1:55 during a 4-on-4 situation. Sean Durzi, assisted by Barrett Hayton, found the net with a glove-side shot past Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky finished the night with 13 saves, while Utah’s Vejmelka made 30 stops in an impressive performance.
With the win, Florida (44-25-3, 91 points) moved ahead of the idle Toronto Maple Leafs (43-25-4, 90 points) to claim first place in the Atlantic Division.
Utah (32-29-12) will wrap up its road trip Sunday in Chicago as they continue their push for a playoff spot.
