Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett played his first game of the 2023-24 NHL season on Monday, and it could be his last for a while after he suffered a lower-body injury in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins.

Bennett was hurt after Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm seemed to fall on the Canadian in front of the net. The 27-year-old needed to be helped off the ice and couldn't put any weight on his left leg.

“He's not day-to-day. He's going to be a little longer,” Cats coach Paul Maurice explained earlier this week, per Associated Press. “We don't think it's as significant as the first one. Have to see how he feels. What happens in the first three days will tell us how long it's going to be.”

Maurice also said the team expected that this injury to Bennett would be longer than a day-to-day situation.

“Maurice told reporters after the team practiced in Detroit on Wednesday that the reigning Eastern Conference champions aren't sure on the prognosis for Bennett, Florida's fourth-leading scorer in last season's playoffs,” wrote AP on Wednesday.

“Bennett missed the first seven games of this season with a lower-body injury, returned for about 8 minutes of ice time in Monday's 3-2 loss at Boston, and got hurt again after Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm fell on him in front of the net.”

The Panthers will be in Detroit to play the Red Wings on Thursday before heading to the Windy City to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. Following the three-game road trip, the team will return to Florida early next week before heading back on the road shortly after.

Bennett out, but Montour, Ekblad getting close

Although it's a disappointing update for Panthers fans, the reinforcements are still on the way after both Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad were spotted at practice earlier this week. Maurice confirmed that the two were ahead of schedule; originally expected back at the end of December, it's possible one or both could play before the end of November.

Both Montour and Ekblad had shoulder surgery after last year's Stanley Cup Final loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.