NHL legend Mark Messier is all praise for Sam Bennett's beast playoff mode against Oilers in Cup Final

Sam Bennett produced another tremendous performance in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Panthers forward scored a postseason-leading 14th goal, extending his personal goal streak to four games. More importantly, he helped Florida to a 6-1 win, taking a 2-1 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers.

Bennett has received lots of praise over the last few months for his all-round play in the playoffs, and on Tuesday, former NHL legend Mark Messier took his turn complimenting him.

"You just hit the nail on the head where you talk about embodying what the Florida Panthers are," Messier said on The Pat McAfee Show. "This guy is that in every sense; he plays with emotion, but he doesn't lose composure by doing it. He plays a 200-foot game. He can wallop you with a body check, but then have the legs to get up ice or back down the ice after a long shift. This guy is playing at a high, high level right now that I don't think anybody thought he could get to.

"He played great last year. He played great in the Four Nations. You can see the courage that he had in the Four Nations, standing up and fighting for his country against a much bigger opponent, Brady Tkachuk. This is a great hockey player who is really having a great series so far, a great playoff in total. What a performance he played with last night," Messier added.

Sam Bennett is a pending UFA in the final season of the four-year, $17,700,000 contract extension he signed with the Panthers in 2021.

Sam Bennett is the frontrunner for the Conn Smythe Trophy

With the Florida Panthers now two wins away from back-to-back Stanley Cups, the oddsmakers have adjusted their Conn Smythe Trophy rankings.

According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, Sam Bennett is now the odds-on favorite to win the award for MVP of the playoffs at +125. To nobody's surprise, Connor McDavid (+240) is right behind him, while Sergei Bobrovsky (+500) rounds out the top three.

There is not much more Sam Bennett could have done in a contract year to increase his value around the league.

He and the Panthers are preparing for the chance to take a 3-1 series lead over the Oilers in Game 4 on Thursday night in Florida. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Amerant Bank Arena.