Story by
Conn Smythe voting reveals Sam Bennett’s close win over Panthers teammate
- Story by
- Conn Smythe voting reveals Sam Bennett’s close win over Panthers teammate
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The post Conn Smythe voting reveals Sam Bennett's close win over Panthers teammate appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup Champions once again, and the praise has been flying in ever since they dominated Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. The Panthers proved that they are the best team in the NHL from top to bottom, with contributions from ups and down the roster one each and every game.
Advertisement
Despite the incredible team effort, only one man could take home the Conn Smythe as the MVP of the postseason. That honor went to star forward Sam Bennett , who finished the playoffs with 15 goals and seven assists.
However, the final voting was very close. Bennett just beat out teammate Brad Marchand for the award, earning 11 of the 18 first-place votes. In the end, Bennett edged out Marchand by just eight total points in the tally, according to the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Marchand also had a stellar postseason and gave the Panthers a massive boost after coming over in a trade from the Boston Bruins during the season. The former Bruins captain finished the postseason with 20 points and came up with a handful of big plays, including the overtime winner in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky finished in third place after a stellar series, and Oilers star Leon Draisaitl finished in fourth.
Advertisement
There were plenty of other players that could have gotten votes for the champs as well. Florida finished the playoffs with six players who scored 20 or more points during the postseason run. Sam Reinhart scored four goals in Game 6 against the Oilers and had seven in the Stanley Cup Final alone, and he didn't even get any votes.
Captain Aleksander Barkov and star forward Matthew Tkachuk , who payed the entire playoffs after tearing his adductor and suffering from a hernia at the 4 Nations Face-Off, didn't get any votes despite being in that 20-plus point club as well.
These numbers all show the combination of depth and star power that Paul Maurice and this Panthers group possessed , and that is why the Stanley Cup is staying in Florida for the second consecutive season. If Florida can keep Bennett and Marchand around in free agency this summer, the Panthers will very likely enter next season as the favorites to win the title once again.
Related: Panthers' Aleksander Barkov played through nasty hand injury in Finals
Related: Panthers' Sam Bennett takes dig at NHL Scouting Combine critics after winning Conn Smythe
