WATCH: Sam Bennett takes David Perron to the floor as things get heated in Red Wings-Pathers clash
In a tense moment during the Florida Panthers-Detroit Red Wings game, emotions boiled over and Sam Bennett and David Perron engaged in a heated altercation. A video shared by Sportsnet on X captured the intense exchange as Sam Bennett took Perron to the floor in a forceful takedown.
The altercation stemmed from Perron's actions toward Niko Mikkola, prompting Bennett to intervene on behalf of his team. The video's caption provided context to the incident, stating:
"Bennett goes after Perron after he interferes with Mikkola."
The two exchanged blows, grappling with each other as they struggled for dominance on the ice. The intensity of the clash was evident as they wrestled, with neither player willing to back down.
But just when it seemed like it might spiral out of control, the ref jumped in to break it up, trying to restore order among the chaos that was unfolding on the ice. After the ref stepped in, both teams had to refocus and get back to the game.
Sam Bennett and the Florida Panthers' rising worries
Sam Bennett and the Florida Panthers are feeling the heat after a recent slump, winning just one of their last seven games. Their record now stands at 46-22-5, placing them second in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Bruins, who recently defeated them 4-3.
In their previous match, they fell to the New York Islanders 3-2, with Semyon Varlamov's stellar performance and Jean-Gabriel Pageau's crucial goal sealing the victory for the Islanders.
Aleksander Barkov reached a milestone, becoming the first Panthers player to reach 700 points with the franchise. However, the team has struggled lately, losing eight of their last nine games. However, this slump is not good for their Stanley Cup hopes, the team's weaknesses have come upfront.
Barkov spoke to reporters after the game:
“Now we have some more breathing room. But, of course, we have a lot of work to do and we need to be a little better than the last few games, for sure. So we're going to learn and move on.”
Florida welcomed defenseman Aaron Ekblad back to the lineup after a seven-game absence due to a lower-body injury.