Bennett avoids suspension for cross-checking Bunting in neck
Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett was fined $5,000 for cross-checking Toronto Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting in the neck in Game 2 on Thursday, the league announced.
Here's the play:
Brutal, really brutal pic.twitter.com/a8Pu3GmLP2
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) May 5, 2023
Here's another look:
Sam Bennett has been fined $5,000 for this cross-check on Michael Bunting during Game 2.
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 5, 2023
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/0WbmQoP5VU
Bunting was shaken up but was able to stay in the game.
Bennett came under scrutiny for another incident in Game 2 when he slammed Leafs rookie Matthew Knies to the ice.
Knies and Bennett collide awkwardly behind the Florida net#LeafsForever | #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/uVXdG8tNJi
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) May 4, 2023
Knies was forced to leave the game with a concussion and is likely to miss the rest of the series.
Bennett has been suspended twice in his nine-year NHL career. He got three games in 2022 for an illegal check to the head and received a one-game ban in 2021 for boarding.
Bennett, who centers Florida's second line, has recorded four goals and three assists in eight playoff games so far. His Panthers lead Toronto 2-0.