The Florida Panthers will be playing Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final without one of their key players.
Sam Reinhart is day-to-day with a lower-body and will not suit up on Saturday night, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said Saturday morning.
Jesper Boqvist will slot into Florida’s lineup and possibly into Reinhart’s spot on the top line next to Sahsa Barkov and Evan Rodrigues.
Maurice did not elaborate on the injury or the timeline.
Reinhart suffered the lower-body injury during Game 2 against Carolina after taking hit from the Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho.
He did not play in either the second or third periods that night, and Maurice said the following morning that an update on Reinhart wouldn’t come until Saturday.
So far during the playoffs, Reinhart has racked up four goals and 11 points through Florida’s 14 postseason contests.
His 41 shots on goal are second on the team only to Sam Bennett, who has 42.
Reinhart’s defensive play has been particularly strong during the playoffs, though its an area that gets far less attention than the offensive contributions.
Still, the combination of Reinhart and Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov, both on their even strength forward line and as a pairing on Florida’s penalty kill, create an incredible formidable defensive pair.
In his four years with the Panthers, Reinhart has been extremely durable.
Through four regular seasons, which equate to 328 games, Reinhart has missed seven: four in his first season of 2021-22 and three this past season.
When it comes to the playoffs, he has suited up for every single Panthers postseason game to this point.
We’ll see if anything changes for Reinhart between Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday.
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
Panthers return home for Game 3 of Eastern Conference Final after two convincing wins in Carolina
Florida Panthers playing historically good when away from home during Stanley Cup Playoffs
Paul Maurice Has Hilarious Take On Brad Marchand Rat Celebration
Panthers GM Bill Zito named finalists for Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award
Photo caption: Jan 25, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) skates against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images