The Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett show just keeps rolling, much to the Panthers' advantage

SUNRISE, Fla.

Brad Marchand waxed poetic about Sam Bennett and his monster shift in which he crushed Vasily Podkolzin, and then John Klingberg, before scoring his league-leading 14th goal and giving the Florida Panthers a huge separator Monday night.

Marchand was going on and on and on and on.

Bennetts former rival called him an animal this whole playoffs.

Advertisement Hes built for this time of year, Marchand said after the Panthers beat the heck out of the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-1 Game 3 victory to put themselves two wins from a Stanley Cup repeat.

Hes built for this time of year, just how competitive he is and how intense.

Obviously, you see the physicality piece.

That shift was a perfect example of his game.

Blows two guys up and then somehow leads the rush after that and scores a beautiful goal.

He can do it all.

Marchand talked about how Bennett isnt scared to go to the dirty areas you must go this time of year: He lives there.

Marchand talked about how Bennett is unfazed by the big moments, how he has the hands and the skill and the intensity level and strength to compete in the corners.

As Marchand began to circle back and repeat, Hes built for this time of year, Sam Reinhart, sitting to his right, finally interrupted with a whisper of, Bed.

Reinhart was tired and letting Marchand know it was time to shut his yap so they could head off into the humid South Florida night for some well-earned shuteye.

Yeah, sorry, I gotta wrap it up here, Marchand said, laughing, before deadpanning, Hes been great.

MAKE A HIT POT A BEAUTY Sam Bennett is an absolute force to be reckoned with.

#StanleyCup : @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/ZDgVkrwpKE NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2025 Like Bennett, Marchand has also been an animal this postseason, making it awfully tough for the Conn Smythe Trophy voters who are tasked with choosing the playoff MVP, should the Panthers win a second consecutive championship in their third straight Stanley Cup Final.

In a rarity, Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe in a losing effort last postseason.

That likely wont happen again if the Panthers can finish this off.

Advertisement Obviously, a lot can happen still when Edmonton has two of the best players in the world.

McDavid and the Oilers showed that last year by nearly completing the impossible and rallying from a 3-0 series deficit before losing Game 7.

But this time, Marchand and Bennett are just playing too well for one of the deepest offensive teams weve seen in the playoffs in some time to not earn Playoff MVP honors if they win it all again.

The Panthers are certainly deeper than last years team, which averaged 3.04 goals per game in the playoffs.

They are the sixth team in NHL history to score five or more goals 11 times in the playoffs, and Monday night was the eighth time in the past 11 games.

Theyve scored 80 times in 20 playoff games for a league-best four goals per game.

They have 11 double-digit point scorers and seven skaters with at least five goals.

Their defensemen lead the league with 18 goals and 50 points.

We have so much offensive depth and great players so many good defensemen, too, said Carter Verhaeghe, whose first-period power-play goal was his 13th career playoff game-winner and third in his Stanley Cup Final career.

It seems like everyones pulling the rope.

Everyones doing their job, goes out there and does their job.

And one night, someones gonna have a big night.

Another night, someone else is gonna have a big night.

Theres no doubt thats true, but the one thing that has become a constant is Marchand and Bennett always having big nights.

They became the second set of teammates in NHL history to open a Stanley Cup Final with a goal streak of three-plus games, joining Minnesota North Stars forwards Steve Payne and Dino Ciccarelli in the 1981 Final.

Marchand didnt waste time Monday.

Fresh off his double-overtime winner in Game 2 in Edmonton, he became the first player in Stanley Cup Final history to follow an overtime winner with a goal in the opening minute of the following game, thanks to a sensational play by Anton Lundell.

His goal 56 seconds into Game 3 was actually his third consecutive goal for the Panthers.

It was his eighth goal of the playoffs and 11th of his career in the Stanley Cup Final.

BRAD MARCHAND PICKS UP RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF LESS THAN A MINUTE INTO GAME 3, IT'S 1-0 FOR THE CATS pic.twitter.com/48RWC3fNIo Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 10, 2025 I dont know if it set the tempo, but it also feels good when you score early in the game, Marchand said.

It gives you confidence.

You cant expect that to happen each night.

Especially with the way the series has gone so far, one goal doesnt mean a whole lot especially with that group, how talented they are.

You dont expect to keep them off the board, right? So its just a play in a game, and you have to build off it and move forward.

Advertisement Perhaps, but then theres Bennett.

Like Marchand, the fellow pending free agent forward continued his scoring ways by extending his goal streak to four games to establish a new franchise record in the postseason.

His league-best 14 goals in 20 games is only 11 fewer than he had in 76 regular-season games.

Marshy had an unreal goal to start the game, said Matthew Tkachuk.

Got us momentum right on our side.

And Benny gained that separation for us and it was a helluva move that I had the best seat in the house for.

So theyre both playing well, both been great leaders for us.

Bennetts shift was simply superb.

After two mammoth hits by Bennett, one that had Podkolzin still reverberating, Eetu Luostarinen stole the puck from him just inside the offensive blue line and then sent the puck into open space for Bennett before he beat a besieged Stuart Skinner with his latest beauty.

Hes been incredible, captain Aleksander Barkov said of Bennett.

Hes scoring goals, but hes doing so much more other stuff.

Hes carrying the puck in the neutral zone.

Hes making plays.

Hes defending well.

Hes just unreal right now.

It was a frustrating sequence for the Oilers, who were outchanced dramatically in the first period at five-on-five and surrendered the first two goals.

But after Corey Perry made it a game again with a power-play goal 1:40 into the second, the Panthers answered almost instantly with Barkov pressuring Klingberg into a turnover en route to Reinharts goal, then Bennett following up a few minutes later to make it 4-1.

The Oilers were unhinged from there with Trent Frederic cross-checking Bennett twice in the lower back to point he sawed off his own stick, an incident that triggered a 10-skater melee highlighted by what felt like an endless fight between Jonah Gadjovich and Darnell Nurse.

Advertisement Gadgey did an incredible job sticking up for the guys there and taking on Nurse, whos obviously a tough guy as well, Marchand said.

The Panthers took their licks and usually skated away, which made the Oilers really lose their cool.

The number of cross-checks and two-handed slashes the Panthers absorbed was simply unbelievable as they drew 11 power plays.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said his players were making investments for the next game.

We talked about it in the third, Tkachuk said.

If you have to take a punch, take a punch.

If you have to take a cross-check, take a cross-check.

Spear, slash in the face, whatever the case is, youve got to take it.

We just played a really smart game.

Brad Marchand told the Oilers to "use their heads" after the Panthers PPG on Edmonton's 4th penalty of the first period pic.twitter.com/BMQQLHETK4 B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 10, 2025 Itll be interesting how the Oilers respond.

They were supposed to have the day off Tuesday.

Instead, Knoblauch called for a practice.

As poorly as Edmonton played, there has to be further concern about the Panthers dominating every second period in the series, the even-strength play Monday and continuously getting to the net and having their way there.

Obviously were a very deep team, Marchand said.

And not just deep offensively, but a lot of guys play a 200-foot game, and a lot of great leaders on this group as well.

I think thats one of our strengths is the depth of the group, from the front end to the back end to the goaltending, and its the way that they have orchestrated this group and the lineup to play a certain way.

Florida is coming at the Oilers in waves, with Barkov centering a top line that has one of the NHLs most clutch playoff performers in Verhaeghe and a 50-goal scorer in Reinhart, a second line that boasts the NHLs leading goal scorer in Bennett pivoting Evan Rodrigues and Tkachuk, and a third line that has Marchand with two stellar kids in Lundell and Luostarinen.

Advertisement Heck, the Panthers second power-play unit has Verhaghe, Marchand and Bennett.

Thats a luxury of riches right there and a unit that finally caused coach Paul Maurice to begin power plays with them over the so-called top unit.

Theyve been the ones generating, Maurice said.

They want a name change.

They dont want to be called 2 anymore.

Its important for those guys to go out.

Theyre going, theyre faster right now and we have good players on there.

We have the playoff leading goal scorer on that unit.

Why wouldnt they start? (Photo of Brad Marchand: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images).

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