Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett left Monday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres with an upper-body injury and did not return.
The Panthers did not say when Bennett sustained the injury. Head coach Paul Maurice did not have an update on him after the game.
Florida Panthers Sam Bennett (upper body) won’t return tonight vs. Buffalo.
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) February 3, 2026
The 29-year-old played 5:11 in the first period but was not on the bench to begin the second. He was later officially ruled out as the third period began.
Bennett came into Monday’s matchup with 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 54 games this year while averaging 18:42 of ice time per game.
The injury is yet another blow for the Panthers down the middle. Star centre Aleksander Barkov has missed the entire season thus far and centre Anton Lundell has been out since suffering an upper-body injury last week. Veteran centre Tomas Nosek has also yet to play in 2025-26 after having an off-season knee procedure.
Florida fell 5-3 Monday night to drop to 28-24-3 on the season and sits nine points out of a playoff spot.