The Florida Panthers dismantled the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, securing a 4-0 victory on the road.
Sergei Bobrovsky led the way with a 21-save shutout, while Evan Rodrigues and Sam Bennett recorded multi-point games. But the player who stole some headlines is 24-year-old defenseman Mike Benning.
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In just his fourth career NHL game, Benning notched his first multi-point performance, recording two assists and giving him three total points this season.
For Benning, it was already a special night. His father, Brian Benning, a former NHL defenseman who was also born in Edmonton, Alta., was in the stands to watch his son. Benning was an original Panther, playing 97 games with Florida.
Mike recorded two assists in the first period, picking up primary helpers on the Panthers’ first two goals of the game. Benning would finish the night with one hit and a plus-2 rating in 15:43 of ice time.
The analytical side favored Benning as well, as the Panthers held a CorsiFor percentage of 62.07 percent with Benning on the ice at 5-on-5, according to naturalstattrick.com. Additionally, the Panthers had more scoring chances and high-danger chances with Benning.
Panthers Pick Up Another Victory In Edmonton, Taking Down Oilers 4-0
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Prior to his call-up, Benning was in the midst of another solid AHL campaign, scoring eight goals and 31 points in 56 games. Despite being listed at just 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Benning has found a way to be impactful, using his skating and puckhandling to help the Panthers break out of their own end and create offense in their opponents’ zone.
With Uvis Balinskis’ timeline remaining undetermined, Benning will have an extended stretch to prove his worth at the NHL level. So far, he’s done everything asked of him.
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