The latest on Panthers' Sam Reinhart ahead of Eastern Conference final Game 3

Miami Herald

24-05-2025

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice on Saturday said star winger Sam Reinhart is out for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes after leaving Game 2 in the first period with a lower-body injury.
Maurice is listing Reinhart as day-to-day.
Jesper Boqvist will draw into the lineup in Reinhart's place.
Reinhart sustained the injury with about five minutes left in the first period after sustaining a low hit from Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho while entering the offensive zone on the power play. Reinhart went crashing to the ice but managed to get to the bench under his own power.
'That guy, you can't really replace him,' captain Aleksander Barkov said. 'He does everything.'
Even that might be an understatement.
Reinhart, one of three finalists for the Selke Award given annually to the NHL's best defensive forward, has four goals and 11 points this postseason. He led the team in the regular season with 39 goals and 81 points. Last season, he was among the league's top scorers with 57 goals and 94 points.
He's on the Panthers' top power play and one of their key forwards on the penalty kill.
And Florida has never been without him in a game that matters. Reinhart has only missed three games over the past three seasons — and all of those came at the end of the regular season this year with Maurice deciding to rest key players after they had clinched their spot in the postseason.
'He's a player that touches all parts of our game,' Maurice said. 'He's a critical player to our power play. Barkov and Reinhart are leading the penalty kill. He draws the heavy fire, pulls the best set of [defensemen] for the other team. It's a significant player out of our lineup. ... You have to be able to survive.'
But the Panthers are no strangers to key players being in and out of the lineup. They were without Aaron Ekblad for four games this postseason due to a pair of suspensions. They played without Sam Bennett for an extended stretch last playoffs as well.
'We've had guys step up all year, and when guys go down, it's just someone else's opportunity to fill a bigger role,' Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. 'And again, everyone stepped up tonight and helped fill that massive hole.'
As for Boqvist, he has played in nine games for the Panthers this postseason, producing one goal and one assist while also logging 30 hits and being able to contribute on the penalty kill.
He already played two games on Florida's top line this postseason when forward Evan Rodrigues missed Games 5 and 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round with injury.
'He can jump in,' Maurice said. 'There's no lag in his game. He doesn't have to get used to a series. There's lot of maturity to what he does. He played with Barkov last time and he'll switch over and play the other side of Barky tonight.'
The Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 2-0 after netting wins of 5-2 in Game 1 and 5-0 in Game 2, putting them two wins away from their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final.