Sam Bennett had a weak excuse for his sucker punch of Brad Marchand

Everyone’s buzzing about the play from Game 4 of the Florida Panthers’ playoff series against the Boston Bruins in which Sam Bennett pushed Charlie Coyle into Jeremy Swayman and somehow wasn’t called for goalie interference on a goal.

But it’s a play from Game 3 that has NHL fans buzzing about another dirty play from Bennett — it was the hit on Brad Marchand that led to the Bruins star missing Game 4. But a new angle showed that Bennett might have sucker punched him while colliding with Marchand, and Bennett had to address it after Sunday’s game.

And the excuse? I’d say it’s weak. C’mon:

Army, Ace and Biz went back to the tape on the shot Sam Bennett gave to Brad Marchand in Game 3 and they got some thoughts @armdog @ansoncarterla @biznasty2point0 pic.twitter.com/kqJRr2px5V

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) May 12, 2024

Here’s Sam Bennett defending the hit on Brad Marchand pic.twitter.com/psgFS8V7jU

— David Dwork (@DavidDwork) May 13, 2024

Sam Bennett shares his side of the Marchand hit AND the game-tying goal with the @NHL_On_TNT boys pic.twitter.com/qJRphQFsQC

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 13, 2024

I see a punch in the head there. Yes, it’s “playoff hockey,” but it’s not “a hockey play.” I’m shocked the NHL’s department of player safety hasn’t gotten involved … but given what we’ve seen in this series, maybe they’ll put a magnifying glass on him going forward.