All 3 missed Game 4 loss; Florida looks to punch ticket to Cup Final again
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RALEIGH, N.C. — The Florida Panthers are anticipating a big boost for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, with forwards Sam Reinhart and A.J. Greerand defenseman Niko Mikkola all expected to return from injury.
The Panthers are up 3-1 in the best-of-7 series with Game 5 on at Lenovo Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC) and are one win from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight season.
“We expect them all to play today,” coach Paul Maurice said after the team’s morning skate.
Reinhart was Florida’s leading scorer in the regular season with 81 points (39 goals, 42 points) in 79 games and he has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 14 games in the playoffs while playing 20:07 per game, the most among Florida’s forwards. Reinhart has not played since Game 2 of the series after being hit by Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho.
Mikkola and Greer each missed Game 4 on Monday with an undisclosed injury. The Panthers lost 3-0 in their first attempt to win the series.
Maurice said there would be no limitations on any of the three players.
“They’re all different kind of leaders,” Maurice said. “Sam, in the preparation, in the mental part of the game. Niko’s got an intensity that he brings to our room and to the bench and to the game that he plays. A.J.’s a really fast, physical player.”
NHL Tonight previews Game 5 between the Panthers and Hurricanes
Mikkola has been playing with Seth Jones on the team’s second defense pair and has tossed in some surprising offense. He has three goals and two assists in 15 playoff games this season, including two goals in Game 3, after scoring five goals in 62 games in the regular season.
“He’s been great all year, for sure, especially in the playoffs,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “He’s a huge part for us and he plays big minutes.”
Greer, who plays on the fourth line, has three points (two goals, one assist) in 11 playoff games this season, including the game-winning goal in Game 1.
The Panthers were not happy with their play in Game 4, when they were missing all three players. It was especially notable on their power play, where they clearly missed Reinhart. They went 0-for-4 with the man advantage in Game 3 and 0-for-8 in the two games Reinhart missed.
“An elite level of skill,” Maurice said of what Reinhart brings to their power play. “Just the finishing ability, the slot hole. He changes the way you view our power play when he’s not there, in terms of who you’ve got to cover off.”
But Maurice said there was no connection between losing that game and the three players returning for Game 5.
“We didn’t leave them out to rest them because we’re up 3-0 and, ‘hey, let’s see,’” he said. “If you can play, you’re playing. There’s no Game 6 for us here. There’s this one today. Healthy players play. If you can’t be better than the guy that I’m going to put in your spot, you’re not playing. We’ve got good players. We’ve got healthy guys that won’t play. Everybody that’s in the lineup can play.”
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