Sam Bennett is one of the guys I have always quietly rooted for and held out hope that he was going to have a breakout season, season after season. I was starting to lose hope this season, finally, and was starting to think it was time to give up on him as he was just never going to materialize into the player we hoped that he would be. Maybe he still won't, but these playoffs prove that it is in him. For whatever reason, he needs a little more work put into from the coaches than some other players but when handled correctly he can be a force.
One thing I have always got on him about was taking bad penalties. He still does once in a while but it really seems like he is taking some soft ones in these playoffs. Not to his fault, I mean the officials seem to be calling some really weak calls on him specifically. I'm not sure if he has some sort of target on his back with the officials? It almost seems that way. Maybe he's a dick to them on the ice or something? I'm kidding, but it seems like he is taking penalties that almost every other player in the league would get away with.
I also can't help but wonder how much of an effect, in a positive way, that Lucic is having on Sam's game. Whether it's that playing bigger when you play with the big man feeling or if Lucic is actively teaching Bennett what it takes to play that kind of game at this level. If so, chalk up another advantage in the Lucic/Neal debate.
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