Bennett, Tkachuk among Panthers playing with injuries in Stanley Cup Final
Now that the 2024 Stanley Cup Final and Playoffs have come to an end, it is time for the slow rollout of the injuries teams faced throughout the two-month-long marathon.
The Florida Panthers were the first to reveal any injuries from the Final, as Panthers coach Paul Maurice spoke about it following the win in Game 7 on Monday.
Maurice confirmed that Sam Bennett was playing through a knee injury from earlier in the series and Matthew Tkachuk was ‘dealing with a couple of things.’ Maurice added that his team had some broken bones and other things but was ‘remarkably healthy’ compared to their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 when they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
Paul Maurice said that Sam Bennett suffered a knee injury on that Nurse hit earlier in the series and that Matthew Tkachuk "is dealing with a couple of things."
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 25, 2024There will likely be more injuries rolled out from both Stanley Cup Final teams over the next few days.
Bennett was injured very early in Game 4 when Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse hit him with direct knee-to-knee contact in the neutral zone. Nurse was given only a minor penalty for tripping. Bennett left the game and went to the Florida dressing room but did return and played 14:57 of ice time. Bennett finished with one goal and three assists in the Stanley Cup Final.
Darnell Nurse gets 2 minutes for tripping
Sam Bennett has gone to the locker room pic.twitter.com/N6ssPWyYgs
Tkachuk was not his usual self in these playoffs, partially hindered from injuries that many believed stemmed from his fight against David Pastrnak in the second round. But he was still very effective.
Tkachuk finished the playoffs with 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 24 games, including a big goal in Game 5 of the Final. Maurice said that Tkachuk would need to get some of his ailments looked at in the coming days. But for now, the adrenaline may just be too high.
TKACHUK TOOK THE CUP FOR A SWIM IN THE OCEAN 😂🌊
(via @David954FLA) pic.twitter.com/xUE3BVaGhL
The Panthers were the best team in the NHL for much of the regular season. They dominated the playoffs and stayed relatively healthy throughout. It is no surprise that they are the 2024 Stanley Cup champions.