The one thing that I have liked about Bennett so far this season that I wish more players on the Flames would also do, is drive to the net hard. Bennett attacks the net.
Yeah, his two penalties weren't great. I thought the first one wasn't much of a penalty, but for sure the 2nd one was. Either way, that's on him.
However, that's ok. Sometimes it is better to have to work with a player in reeling-in his aggression. It is an easier task than to get a player to play more aggressively when that isn't part of his DNA. I thought Ferland in particular was a very underrated aggressive player because he rarely took a bad penalty. However, Bennett plays with snarl in his game - something that this team is not well known for. That sometimes does result in a bad penalty now and then.
I like watching Bennett out there because he is a handful for the other team. He is distracting for them, and he is always eager to drive the net hard and create 'something out of nothing' with that willingness. Add his underlying metrics, and it is difficult not to like him and what he brings to this team, even with the occasional poor penalty (which does suck). Most players that play this aggressive style end up getting these types of infractions, which made Ferland a bit of an anomaly from that standpoint (and a player that I still miss greatly on the Flames, and hope he gets his health on track).
So, with the above in mind, I predict 2 goals from Bennett tonight. First will be a 'lucky' goal that comes from him attacking the net, and the other will be a filthy dangle after walking a defender.
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