Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett spoke to the media on Tuesday, less than a day after the team had initially withheld him, offering his account of the contentious play involving Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
Bennett stated, “Stollie is a good friend of mine. I reached out to him. He responded.” He continued, “Obviously never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view, I`m just taking the puck to the net. I didn`t even know we made contact until after. I`m on the power play, I`m trying to score. I`m taking the puck to the net. That`s really all there was to it.”
The incident took place during the second period of Game 1 in the second-round series on Monday.
While on the power play in the Leafs` zone, Bennett appeared to make contact with Stolarz`s head with his forearm as he skated past the goal. No penalty was assessed during the play.
Stolarz remained in the game briefly before leaving minutes later. He was observed vomiting on the bench and was subsequently transported to a hospital by ambulance for assessment.
The league subsequently announced that Bennett would not receive any supplementary discipline for the incident.
Leafs coach Craig Berube provided an update on Tuesday, stating that Stolarz is doing well and is with the team. However, he did not disclose whether Stolarz sustained a concussion or his availability for Game 2.
Earlier in the same game, Stolarz was also hit in the head by a puck from a wrist shot taken by Panthers forward Sam Reinhart.
Joseph Woll entered the game as relief for Stolarz, stopping 17 of 20 shots as Toronto ultimately held off Florida to secure a 5-4 victory.
Bennett offered his perspective on the fan reaction: “I think I can understand why people reacted that way (being angry) because Stollie is injured.” He added, “Of course when your starting goaltender gets injured, people are going to be upset. Looking back at the video, the contact that was made, in my opinion, it`s really just a bump. There was no forceful action. I`m trying to score. The last thing on my mind is thinking about elbowing him in the head. When it happened, I didn`t even realize I had made contact.”
This is not the first instance where Bennett has faced criticism from the Maple Leafs or their fanbase. During the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bennett injured Matthew Knies by driving him into the boards and taking him down, resulting in a concussion for Knies.
He also avoided suspension for an incident involving then-Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand in the second round of the playoffs last year, where he punched Marchand.
When asked if he understands the strong reactions when he`s involved in controversial plays, Bennett replied:
“That`s part of the game. I play a hard style of hockey,” he commented. “I think people get upset by things and worked up. But I try to just tune that out. I`m just trying to play my game. I`m just trying to help our team win. I`m just trying to push all that noise away.”
Tristan Blackwood