Bennett’s game rounding into form

At first, Sam Bennett saw black. And then he saw red.

Both were not good signs for the Calgary Flames forward who was hit in the face with a puck on Tuesday, a clearing attempt by Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen which struck him directly above his right eyebrow, underneath his visor.

Bleeding (a lot), Bennett rushed to the bench and was ushered down the tunnel with a towel pressed to his face.

But for the onlookers in the Scotiabank Saddledome, at home watching the game in the Calgary area, and especially those in the Bennett household in Ontario, the seriousness of the injury was not known.

“(My mom) was worried,” Bennet said. “She stayed up all night until I was able to text her. Yeah, he was pretty worried.”

The result? A black-ish eye, swelling, and a reasonable amount of stitches.

“It was only six or seven, actually,” Bennett downplayed with a chuckle, as a jubilant Flames locker room celebrated a rebound 3-0 victory over the visiting Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night. “A little swelling. A little bruising. It wasn’t too bad (Thursday). But once the game starts, you don’t even think about it.

“You just play hockey.”

And while it was a rebound performance for the team as a group — Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Leafs was error-filled, defensively loose and featured some terrible puck management — Bennett’s personal game was also productive.

The 2017-18 campaign hasn’t been kind to the 21-year-old who has, at times, struggled and has been scrutinized over his play at centre, prompting a switch to the left wing.

But, more recently, his game seems to be rounding into form. On Thursday against the Coyotes, he got on the scoresheet with two assists — and they were not simply just accidental touches on the puck.

“With all the analytics we do with Sam, it was the second-best segment as a Flame as far as with what he created and how many chances he had,” said head coach Glen Gulutzan. “It was just a matter of time before he was rewarded and he was rewarded (on Thursday).”

The scoring touch by the third line was much needed, especially because the first line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Micheal Ferland were shooting blanks, despite tossing 12 of 44 shots towards Arizona goalie Scott Wedgewood.

“I mean, that top line has been unbelievable for us,” Bennett said. “It’s definitely nice to contribute offensively and we know we have to do that to have success. It definitely feels good.”

Truth is, after a rocky start for Bennett, it’s felt good for a while.

“I definitely think over the last couple games, I’ve started to feel better,” he said. “Our line has been generated a lot of chances. I know that if the chances are there, eventually the production is going to come.

“So, I’m going to keep playing like I’m playing.”