The struggling Florida Panthers star center Sam Bennett's night is over against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
The Panthers announced that Bennett will not return to the contest due to an injury.
“Florida Panthers Sam Bennett (upper body) won’t return tonight vs. Buffalo,” the team shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
Before he left the game, the 29-year-old Bennett logged just 5:11 of ice time with zero points and a minus-1 versus the visiting Sabres.
Bennett appeared to suffer the injury in the first period, as he was not seen back in action in the second frame.
This development also adds to the headaches of Florida on the injury front.
The Panthers are already missing center Anton Lundell with an upper-body injury, while left wing Brad Marchand is also sidelined for an undisclosed reason. Meanwhile, defenseman Seth Jones and left wing Jonah Gadjovich are both on the injured reserve. That is not to mention the fact that center Aleksander Barkov has yet to see action in the 2025-26 NHL season.
With Bennett dealing with an injury, the Panthers' lineup has gone even thinner against the Sabres.
“Sam Bennett (upper-body) officially ruled out for the remainder of the game vs. Buffalo. Panthers without 8 regulars tonight, which includes all 4 centers from last year’s team,” rinkside reporter Katie Engleson shared via a post on social media.
Bennett entered the Sabres game third on his team with 42 points on the strength of 19 goals and 23 assists.
As for the Panthers, they started the day carrying a three-game losing skid.
