Bennett had the kind of shift in Game 3’s victory on Monday that tells the larger Panthers’ story. It’s as much the moment of this series as Panthers forward Brad Marchand’s breakaway goal to win Game 2, defenseman Aaron Ekblad’s hit that sent Connor McDavid spinning to the ice or McDavid’s brilliant “walk-on-water toe tap,’’ as Ekblad called it.

Everything one needs to understand about Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett as a Stanley Cup Playoffs juggernaut was epitomized by one shift in their Game 3 win over the Edmonton Oilers. It began with a backcheck.

As Sam Bennett’s playoff lore continues to grow with each playoff goal scored, his pending free agency only grows more fascinating. On the one hand, you have a soon-to-be 29-year-old second-line center — a decent one that plays with an edge and has scored at a 53-point pace since joining the Florida Panthers.