The Florida Panthers will have to chase their first Stanley Cup Final berth in 28 years without some key players Monday night.
Star forward Sam Reinhart won’t suit up for Game 4 against Carolina, still dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out of Game 3. Head coach Paul Maurice dropped that bombshell during his morning media session.
But that’s not all. The injury bug has bitten harder than expected.
Niko Mikkola and A.J. Greer are also out after getting banged up in Game 3. Both are listed as day-to-day, though Maurice had initially thought they’d be good to go.
The timing isn’t great, but it could be worse. Florida’s sitting pretty with a 3-0 series lead over the Hurricanes.
Reinhart’s been missing since the first period of Game 2, when Carolina’s Sebastian Aho caught him with a hit that sent him to the locker room. While he’s been solid these playoffs with 4 goals and 11 points in 14 games, the Panthers proved they could win without him – they crushed Carolina 6-2 in Game 3.
Mikkola’s absence might hurt the most. The 6-foot-6 Finnish defenseman had been playing out of his mind, even scoring twice in Game 3 including the game-winner. He’s averaged over 19 minutes of ice time per game this postseason.
The Panthers don’t have as much defensive depth as they do up front, which makes losing Mikkola particularly tough.
Maurice has his replacement plan ready though. Jesper Boqvist will keep filling in for Reinhart – he’s been hot lately with 5 points in his last three games. Uvis Balinskis will step in for Mikkola on defense, while Nico Sturm takes Greer’s spot on the fourth line.
If the Panthers can close it out Monday night, they’ll give their injured players some extra rest before the Stanley Cup Final begins.
