The Florida Panthers appear to be an unstoppable juggernaut, as the reigning Stanley Cup Champions have won their last three playoff games by a combined score of 16-3. The Panthers destroyed the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the second round 6-1 on Sunday, and in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final, they have jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Carolina with a 5-2 win on Tuesday and a 5-0 shutout in Game 2 on Thursday.
Florida’s momentum may be slowed by the growing number of injuries to key players. Matthew Tkachuk has been hampered by what is suspected to be a groin injury suffered at the Four Nations Face-Off in February, center Anton Lundell is battling an unspecified injury, and on Thursday the Panthers lost forward Sam Reinhart to a knee injury.
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Reinhart collided with Carolina’s Sebastian Aho late in the first period, which appeared to be knee-on-knee contact. The former Sabre led the Panthers with 39 goals this season and has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 14 playoff games.
Florida head coach Paul Maurice said that the 2014 second-overall pick will be looked at by the Panthers' medical team on Friday, but his status for Game 3 on Saturday is in doubt.
How other Sabres did in the playoffs on Thursday:
Florida - 5, Carolina - 0
William Carrier(CAR) 15:03 TOI, 3 Hits
Eric Robinson(CAR) 10:46 TOI, 1 SOG, 4 Hits
Taylor Hall(CAR) -1, 15:27 TOI, 1 SOG, 1 Hit
Mark Jankowski(CAR) 12:14 TOI, 1 SOG, 2 Hits
Sam Reinhart(FLA) 5:37 TOI, 1 Hit
Evan Rodrigues(FLA) 2A, 16:38 TOI, 2 SOG
Dmitri Kulikov(FLA) 17:27 TOI, 1 SOG, 4 Hits
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