The Florida Panthers are dealing with an injury to a key player.
Forward Sam Reinhart was ruled out for the game after being hit late in the first period.
With Florida on the power play, Reinhart passed the puck as he crossed Carolina’s blue line.
After he released the puck and moved into the zone, he was caught with a blindside hit to the left hip/leg area by Sebastian Aho, who lined up Reinhart and made solid contact to the unsuspecting Panthers star.
Reinhart went to the bench and did not come back out for the rest of Florida’s power play.
He tried taking a shift with just over two minutes left in the period, but stayed on the ice for only 12 seconds.
He never returned after that, and during the intermission, Reinhart was officially ruled out for the rest of the game by the Panthers.
Florida was leading 2-0 at the time of the hit and were up 3-0 after the first period.
Reinhart has racked up four goals and 11 points through 14 playoff games.
We’ll see if there is any update on his status from Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice after the game.
Stay tuned.
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Photo caption: Nov 29, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) comes off the after after the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)