Without that goal, center Connor McDavid wouldn’t have had the chance to play the hero, scoring at 8:18 of overtime to give Canada a 3-2 win.

Then Bennett helped the Panthers win the Stanley Cup for the second straight season.

He led the playoffs with 15 goals, including a record 13 on the road, and five in the Stanley Cup Final. Three other active players have scored at least 15 goals in one postseason: Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (16 in 2024), Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (15 in 2018) and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (15 in 2009).

“It just seems like, especially come playoff time, his game [reaches] another level,” Tkachuk said. “He skates so well. He’s super physical for not being the biggest guy (6-foot-1, 193 pounds). Really good in the trenches. Just speed, power and physicality. And [he puts] fear into the opposing team.”

After playing 273 games during the previous three seasons, including the regular season, playoffs and 4 Nations, Bennett got off to a slow start for the Panthers this season. The 29-year-old had five points (three goals, two assists) in his first 18 games.

When Team Canada announced its roster Dec. 31, he was not on it.

“We were all shocked down in Florida,” Tkachuk said. “… We just couldn’t believe it.”

But since Nov. 17, Bennett has 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 39 games. That’s second on the Panthers behind forward Sam Reinhart, his Canada teammate, who has 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) in 39 games.

And now that Bennett is with Team Canada in Milan, he’s comfortable, even though he didn’t get to watch videos the coaching staff had prepared for the other players before the tournament. The coaching staff is the same as it was for 4 Nations, led by Lightning coach Jon Cooper.

“It’s the same systems as 4 Nations,” Bennett said, “so that part’s really easy to figure out pretty quickly.”

Bennett is enjoying the Olympic experience. When the Canadians took a team picture at the Duomo, the iconic Gothic cathedral in the heart of the city, there he was on the left side, smiling between Reinhart and Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki.

He and his teammates met other athletes at the Olympic Village.

“It was awesome,” he said. “It was really cool. It was great to just experience that, see all the other athletes, just hang out and have some conversations about the other sports and what other players are doing, so it was really cool, and I’m glad we got to do that.”