SUNRISE, Fla. — The forward line featuring Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Carter Verhaeghe embodies the key reasons behind the Florida Panthers` impressive dominance throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.
This trio relentlessly pressures opponents in the offensive zone with their forecheck. Their offensive talent is top-tier; they account for three of the top four scoring spots for the Panthers this postseason. Defensively, they excel too, limiting opponents to an average of just 1.98 goals against per 60 minutes during 5-on-5 play. Driven by Tkachuk and Bennett, they possess a distinct antagonistic edge, equally adept at initiating confrontations and responding to them.
This combination of attributes positions them as potentially the most potent line in the playoffs. They could serve as a team`s top offensive unit, their primary checking line, or their most persistent irritants.
“It`s a deadly combination, all over the ice,” commented Florida winger Brad Marchand.
Deadly for opponents, and enjoyable for Tkachuk.
“It`s fun when we`re getting in on the forecheck and finishing hits and playing in their zone and getting good scoring chances,” he remarked after the Panthers` 6-2 victory in Game 3 against the Hurricanes, which brought them one win shy of a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. “I thought the building was electric. I credit my linemates for how they played, getting [the fans] going.”
Through 15 playoff contests, this line has controlled 65.4% of shot attempts and 57% of expected goals when on the ice at 5-on-5. The trio averages a remarkable 4.6 goals per 60 minutes, and their 70% goals-for percentage ranks third among teams that advanced past the first round.
Because Verhaeghe often moves between lines during the regular season, the opportunity for fans or the team to formally christen this line hasn`t solidified. Social media suggestions, some more sarcastic than others, included `The Rat Pack,` the `Elbow Grease Line,` and the `Immunity Line,` referencing their perceived ability to avoid NHL discipline while playing aggressively.
“We are kind of a line that can do everything,” Bennett stated. “Chucky likes to hold pucks down low, he likes to slow the game down a little bit. Then, Carter is speeding the game up, he`s using his speed, he`s heavy and fast. Then, I`m kind of a mix of that. It`s just a line that we`ve found has been effective in the playoffs. I love playing with both of those guys.”
Three distinct parts, three players, each contributing something different to their overall effectiveness.
“The diversity in style is actually a good thing for us,” noted Florida coach Paul Maurice.
Sam Bennett: `Definition of a Playoff Player`
Bennett, 28, joined the Panthers from Calgary in April 2021. Tkachuk was still with the Flames then and wasn`t initially pleased with the trade.
“He`s always had the talent. He`s always had the work ethic. He`s always had the bite, the jam, everything,” Tkachuk said. “I think a lot of his success has to do with opportunity. He didn`t get the opportunity in Calgary that he has here. I don`t know why that is.”
What Tkachuk has witnessed from Bennett in Florida is someone he considers “the definition of a playoff player.” Bennett has tallied 43 points in 54 games over the past three postseasons, while maintaining a physical approach that has, at times, bordered on illegal and injurious.
Or as Marchand put it: “He`s got a good right hook.”
Bennett appeared to sucker-punch Marchand during the Panthers` playoff series win over the Boston Bruins in 2024. The incident sidelined Marchand for two games but resulted in no further discipline for Bennett.
At the trade deadline in 2025, they became teammates.
“I didn`t hold a grudge. Again, I know how this game`s played. I played a similar way,” Marchand explained. “It`s something that we joke about. I can laugh it off. I joke about it all the time. I joke about it more than he does, but I definitely joke about it.”
But Bennett does have a humorous side, something Marchand didn`t anticipate before getting to know him.
“He`s not as serious of a person as I thought he was. When you see him on the ice and you see him kind of around the media, he just seemed like he was quiet and very reserved. Once you get to know him, he`s actually pretty vocal and really funny and a good guy to be around,” Marchand said. “But when you see him on the ice, he`s so intense. He doesn`t really chirp. You don`t hear him during the game. He`s all business.”
Marchand and Maurice lauded Bennett`s speed and shot, but Marchand was particularly impressed by his tenacity.
“He brings a physical aspect to the game that, especially this time of year, you can`t have enough of it,” Marchand said of Bennett. “Those are the guys that make a huge impact on the game, when you have to be aware of them physically on the ice and know where they`re at.”
Marchand would know personally.
Carter Verhaeghe: `Shows Up in the Big Games`
Verhaeghe, 29, signed as a free agent with the Panthers in 2020 after winning a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay the previous season. He has since become one of Florida`s major postseason heroes, consistently elevating his performance when the regular season concludes. Over the past four playoff runs for the Panthers, Verhaeghe has accumulated 11 game-winning goals, a total significantly higher than anyone else on the team.
“He`s a guy that really shows up in the big games,” Bennett affirmed.
Last season`s version of this line was also effective, featuring Bennett and Tkachuk alongside winger Evan Rodrigues, who boasted strong analytics for the Panthers. However, Rodrigues doesn`t possess the offensive output of Verhaeghe, who maintains a 0.90 points-per-game average across his last 70 postseason appearances.
Verhaeghe split his time last postseason between Bennett`s line and skating with captain Aleksander Barkov. Maurice was comfortable deploying Verhaeghe flexibly in the past. This season, however, he struggled to find the right moment to consistently pair Verhaeghe with Barkov.
“I got it wrong the entire year. The first two years, I thought I was really smart. Every time I changed it, the lines take off,” Maurice admitted. “This year, I was a dumbass.”
Despite Maurice`s difficulty sticking with the Barkov combination, Verhaeghe found significant chemistry with Bennett and Tkachuk in the playoffs.
“I think our line works because we all kind of bring a different element to the line. We read off each other really well,” Verhaeghe explained. “Chucky makes really good plays, so smart, so physical. Benny`s the same thing, kind of makes plays so fast up the middle. We just stay on pucks, like to be close together.”
With Bennett and Tkachuk creating space and driving play, Maurice views Verhaeghe as the finisher capable of converting the chances they generate.
“It`s Carter`s speed and his release, and all of their ability to jump on broken plays,” Maurice stated.
Verhaeghe is a recognizable name to any NHL fan who has followed the playoffs recently. Bennett is gaining notoriety through memorable actions – ask a Toronto Maple Leafs fan about his collision with Anthony Stolarz – and his strong play for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off, plus his upcoming unrestricted free agency where he`s expected to significantly increase his contract`s average annual value.
But neither of them has been a guest on `The Tonight Show.`
Matthew Tkachuk: `He`s a Wonderful Human Being`
Tkachuk is undeniably a superstar. This was evident when the Panthers traded star winger Jonathan Huberdeau and top defenseman MacKenzie Weegar for him in 2022, immediately signing him to an eight-year, $76 million extension.
His superstar status was solidified during his 2023 performance, where he spearheaded the Panthers` surprising first-round upset of Boston and their run through the Eastern Conference playoffs, despite suffering a broken sternum in the Stanley Cup Final against Vegas.
It remained true last postseason, when Tkachuk recorded 22 points in 24 games and famously took the Stanley Cup for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean. And it was highlighted at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he and his brother created a sensation by dropping the gloves against Team Canada.
Tkachuk and Bennett have been consistent linemates for multiple seasons, establishing a formidable second line behind Aleksander Barkov`s trio.
“He and Sam have similarities. They`re fearless in how they play. And then they`re exact opposites,” Maurice observed. “But that`s truly how they complement each other.”
Tkachuk has accumulated 14 points in 15 games this postseason, though statistics tell only part of the story. He has maintained his antagonistic demeanor both on and off the ice, such as when he repeatedly slammed a ball against a wall during a Hurricanes news conference in Raleigh, with the media area separated from the Panthers` workout space only by a curtain. Similarly, in Game 3, he slammed Carolina`s Sebastian Aho to the ice after Aho had hit Panthers forward Sam Reinhart in Game 2.
“I don`t really look at it as intent or intimidation at all. It`s just sticking up for teammates,” said Tkachuk, who received a roughing penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for the play. “We`re a family in there. It could happen to anybody, and there`s probably 20 guys racing to be the guy to stick up for a teammate like that. That`s just how our team`s built. That`s why we`re successful. I don`t think any of us would be thrilled at that play in Game 2.”
Following the game, the Hurricanes lamented their hesitation to retaliate, concerned that Tkachuk would have provoked another penalty from an opponent.
“They`re very good at goading you into penalties,” Carolina`s Taylor Hall admitted.
It is certainly frustrating, but Tkachuk has that effect on people. Even his coach.
“I hated Matthew when I was in Winnipeg,” confessed Maurice, who coached the Jets from 2013 to 2022. “And then you meet him and you go, `Oh my God, he`s a wonderful human being.`”
Maurice recounted a story from after Game 3, when one of the Panthers invited a young fan battling cancer to the locker room area with his parents. Tkachuk paused the team`s postgame celebration to greet and chat with him.
“You need to see that because that`s real,” Maurice emphasized.
ON-ICE PERSONAS can be vastly different from individuals away from competition. Maurice also highlighted `Benny`s Buddies,` a charitable program Sam Bennett initiated with the Humane Society of Broward County. Every goal he scores raises funds to cover pet adoption fees.
“They`re really, really nice people. Then, the puck drops,” Maurice said of his Panthers. “They`re hard on guys. They are. And most of that is driven by how they feel about each other. They don`t want to let the other guy down.”
Marchand noted the duality present in hockey players. Their actions on the ice often define their public image, media perception, and reputation within the league. However, when sharing a locker room, no longer opponents but teammates like him and Bennett, you encounter a person seemingly at odds with their on-ice persona.
“I think it`s just this respect we have for each other, understanding that what we do on the ice is our job. We`re competing for the same goal,” Marchand stated. “At the end of the day, you`re willing to do things on the ice that aren`t typical of you as a person off the ice.”
Maurice, in his characteristic style, compared this duality to, of all things, shotgunning a beer in church.
“Have you ever shotgunned a beer? Have you ever been to church? Would you shotgun a beer if you`re in church? No, and that doesn`t make you a hypocrite,” he reasoned. “There`s a context for all things.”
Within any context, Bennett, Tkachuk, and Verhaeghe constitute one of the NHL`s most compelling trios—and a primary engine propelling the Panthers towards potentially repeating as champions.
Rupert Hartwell 
Benedict Kingsley