Reinhart scores in bunches but plays consistent, key role in several phases of the game
Reinhart scores in bunches but plays consistent, key role in several phases of the game
Sam Reinhart’s game has hit a new level over the past two seasons in South Florida.
He’s performed at nearly a point-per-game pace, racking up 136 points in 149 games, but interestingly, many of those points have come in bunches.
There are several examples of this looking at just the current season.
Reinhart opened the campaign with only two assists over Florida’s first 11 games. He then racked up 13 points in 13 games, including a stretch of four goals in five games.
After that, one point in five games, followed by four goals and eight points in four games.
It gets more extreme.
Another single point over a five-game span preceded a stretch bridging January and February in which he logged 18 points in 19 games, including a run of six goals in eight games.
Then came six games without a point.
That brings us to the current string of six goals and nine points over a six-game span that included four straight with at least a goal.
“They seem to come in bunches, I don't know what the reason is for that,” Reinhart said. “You get some bounces, and you start feeling good.”
It doesn’t seem like that difficult of a concept to grasp. A player plays better when they’re feeling good about themselves, and success generally breeds positive vibes.
For what it’s worth, Reinhart admitted that confidence does play a part.
“When you see the puck go in, whether it’s a nice play or a lucky bounce, it’s a lot easier, (you feel) a lot more relaxed, a lot more composed, after seeing it go in,” he said. “That probably attributes to it.”
Reinhart’s scoring may come in bunches, but if there is one thing you can count on game-to-game, it’s that he’ll be in the lineup.
The 27-year-old has rarely been off the ice during his nine years in the NHL, at one point missing only six games in a four-season span. Since joining the Panthers, Reinhart has missed a whopping four games in two years, and so far this season he’s played in each of Florida’s 71 games.
“He takes very good care of himself and he’s a really, really good pro,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said of Reinhart’s durability. “He's also not in bad situations. He's not behind plays, where you're pulling something trying to make up for a mistake, or he doesn't put himself in a bad position along the walls. He's mentally ahead of the game, so he can get in and out of trouble.”
From a young age Reinhart has taken excellent care of his body away from the rink, and the results speak for themselves.
Still, most professional athletes will tell you that the longer you stay in the game, remaining healthy can sometimes come down to simple good fortune.
“It’s a little bit of luck, but there's certainly a lot of work that goes into it, throughout the summer and throughout the year, getting your body in a position to play on a nightly basis,” Reinhart said.
One area where Reinhart has been extremely valuable for the Panthers but doesn’t get much recognition is his work in the faceoff circle.
The natural centerman has been asked to play a lot more on the wing during his NHL career, and though his responsibilities on the ice with Florida and under Maurice have been mostly those of a winger, Reinhart’s ability to step in the faceoff circle and impact the game positively is an incredible asset for the Panthers.
Florida, you see, has as abundance of left-shooting centermen. Sasha Barkov, Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Eric Staal…all hockey southpaws.
In fact, Reinhart and Colin White are the only righties among Florida’s current rostered forwards.
That means whichever line Reinhart is on the ice with, or whether he’s out there on the power play, penalty kill or five on five, he’ll be taking the faceoff if it’s on the right side of the ice.
“It's huge,” Maurice said. “We just don't have a lot of right-handed players, we have no right-handed centerman, so he can play the wing and still be effective.”
When it comes to being good in the faceoff circle, especially at the highest level, experience is an invaluable asset.
The more draws you take, the more situations you’re in, the more opponents you have to outsmart, the better you’ll be.
That makes the job Reinhart has done for Florida that much more impressive.
“I think the most difficult part of it was the lack of reps, the lack of repetition,” he said. “It's tough going in and out, having a couple of draws one night, a couple of nights later have another couple, so I think the repetition has been helping for this success.”
Starting with Reinhart’s last year in Buffalo, he’s taken more faceoffs in the past three seasons than in his first six seasons combined.
Not surprisingly, his past three seasons have also been his best in the faceoff circle, statistically.
Reinhart has always been a high hockey IQ guy. Now he’s getting more reps, taking more mental notes, and the results are showing.
The last time Reinhart played in a game without taking a faceoff was Jan. 15 in Toronto. In the 25 games since, he’s won 114 of 215 draws for a 53.0 percent success rate.
Spread out over a full season, that would signify a new career high for Reinhart (his current best was 48.5 percent last year) and rank him among the best 30-40 centermen in the NHL.
The only Panthers player currently among the NHL’s top 70 in face off percentage is Barkov. He’s at 18th with a 55.1 percent success rate. Next is Bennett, ranked 73rd best at 47.0 percent.
Point being Reinhart’s value in the faceoff circle is equally important to Florida’s success as it is unheralded outside of the Panthers locker room.
“Sam is a guy whose brain doesn't turn off. He doesn't come in and out of games,” Maurice said. “Some guys ebb and flow with their intensity. His mental intensity is the same all game.”
The ascending Reinhart has been a key element to Florida’s success during his two seasons with the team, and it would make sense the two are on similar trajectories.
Currently, Reinhart is riding one of his hot streaks, and he caught fire as a time when the Panthers needed it most.
But whether or not he’s showing up on the scoresheet, Reinhart can be counted on to be in the lineup, ready to bring his game and impact the game in positive ways for Florida on multiple levels.
As long as both he and the team remain firing on all cylinders, it would seem the sky is the limit for the talented and battle-tested Panthers.
“We’re really enjoying this ride,” Reinhart said. “It’s been a long time playing catch-up and it’s nice to finally see us in a position to be in the driver’s seat.”