Notorious Panthers player gets away with a dirty play against Toronto Maple Leafs
On Wednesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up what might have just been their most important victory of the season.
On home ice at Scotiabank Arena, the Leafs downed the Florida Panthers by a 3-2 score, holding off a late rally from their rivals.
The win helped them clinch a playoff spot for the ninth consecutive season and, perhaps more importantly, helped them stay atop the Atlantic Division standings.
With the team eyeing its first division crown since 2000 in an 82-game campaign (they won the All-Canadian North Division in the abbreviated 2020-21 season), every point matters over the stretch drive of the season. Toronto is now three points clear of the Tampa Bay Lightning (though they have played one more game) and four up on the Panthers after last night’s win.
But it isn’t all sunshine and roses. In the closing stages of the game, Panthers forward Sam Bennett appears to have gotten away with a dirty play on one of the Leafs’ key players, locking in Toronto forward John Tavares with a slew foot in the game’s closing stages.
hmmm pic.twitter.com/Cu0zmOXXrq
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 3, 2025
Neither head coach Craig Berube nor Tavares commented on the play post-game, and no penalty was called on the incident.
Given how little fanfare there was about the ordeal, it’s unlikely the NHL has a fine or a suspension coming for Bennett. But if Toronto ends up facing their divisional rivals come playoff time, they’ll be wise to keep their heads on a swivel.
Most Leafs fans likely remember that Bennett injured then-rookie Matthew Knies in the 2023 playoffs. Knies suffered a head injury, later confirmed to be a concussion, after Bennett tossed him to the ice hard during a postseason game between the two teams that ended up bringing Knies’ season to an end.
The Leafs and Panthers will renew their hostilities one more time before the season ends when they face off this coming Tuesday in Florida. If things get a little physical between Bennett and any of the Leafs players, well, it’ll probably have something to do with the lengthy history between the two.