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Panthers’ Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola, A.J. Greer In For Game 5

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May 28: All three players are returning to the lineup tonight after the Panthers dropped Game 4 by a score of 3-0 without them, Maurice told reporters, including Michael Russo of The Athletic, this morning.

May 26: Panthers star winger Sam Reinhart, who already missed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final because of a lower-body injury, will remain out for Game 4 tonight, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters (including Eric Engels of Sportsnet). Defenseman Niko Mikkola and winger A.J. Greer, who sustained upper-body and undisclosed injuries in Game 3, respectively, will also miss the potential conference championship-clinching game and are day-to-day, Maurice said.

Reinhart exited Game 2 in the first period due to a hit from Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho and didn’t return. Maurice said yesterday that Reinhart had neither been ruled out nor cleared for Game 4, while Greer and Mikkola weren’t expected to miss time. The latter statements jumped the gun.

Luckily for them, the Panthers have built up a 3-0 cushion in the series to limit the potential effects of their absences (and, if all goes well tonight, allow everyone time to get healthy for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final). They already won once without Reinhart, cruising to a 6-2 win in Game 3 with a third-period scoring explosion. The 29-year-old has been good but not overly dominant in this year’s playoff run, posting four goals and 11 points in 14 games after scoring 10 goals in 24 playoff games in last year’s Stanley Cup win.

But Mikkola played a massive role in that win, scoring a pair of goals, including the game-winner. After the best regular season of his career, the 6’6″ Finn has further solidified his status as a high-end second-pairing option in the playoffs, posting five points and a plus-six rating while averaging north of 19 minutes per game. With the Panthers having fewer quality depth options on the blue line outside of their usual lineup compared to their forward group, his absence will be a little more difficult for Maurice to deal with as he tries to sweep Carolina in the ECF for the second time in three years.

Jesper Boqvist, who’s been the 13th forward this postseason but still has five points in his last three appearances, will remain in the lineup in Reinhart’s stead. Maurice said that rearguard Uvis Balinskis will replace Mikkola in the lineup while depth center Nico Sturm enters the lineup for the fourth-liner Greer.

Brief Explanation Of Panthers Dichotomy

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  • In a humorous and candid quote, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice describes the contrast between his team’s behaviour on the ice and off the ice. Giving most of the credit to captain Aleksander Barkov, Michael Russo of The Athletic writes about the Panthers’ tenacity, and sometimes dirty play during games, and their stout humility and respect in between puck drops. Recognizing this, Russo quoted Maurice, saying, “Have you ever shotgunned a beer? Have you ever been to church? Would you shotgun a beer in church? That doesn’t make you a hypocrite. There’s a context and a place for all things.“

    [SOURCE LINK]

Panthers Notes: Jones, Reinhart, Mikkola, Greer

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Seth Jones has played up to his ceiling as a top-pairing defenseman in the Panthers’ playoff run. On the verge of advancing to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, Jones has six points and a +11 rating in 15 games while averaging the most minutes per game of any Florida skater, by far, at 25:20 per night.

Rejuvenated after being acquired from the Blackhawks before the deadline, Jones’ game is back to where it was during the heights of his career several years ago with the Blue Jackets. He spoke to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times last week about the transition from being the minute-munching option on a rebuilding Hawks team to being back in a competitive environment in Florida.

“It definitely feels like there’s some pressure off [me] after the trade,” Jones told Pope. “In Chicago, I was just forcing things and trying to do too much – out of my realm, to be honest. It was always hopefully for the betterment of the team, in my opinion, [even though] it didn’t always turn out that way or look that way. But here, I can just play my game.”

“This system forces the defensemen to get up, gap up, be tight and force [opposing] wingers to make plays under pressure,” Jones continued – all obvious strengths of his game throughout his 12-year career. “Everyone is responsible and understands their job.”

There’s more out of Florida as they gear up for a potential series-clinching Game 4:

  • Winger Sam Reinhart’s status for Game 4 remains in the air after he missed Game 3 due to a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters (including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen). His day-to-day designation hasn’t changed, and he’s been neither cleared nor ruled out for tomorrow’s contest. He’s been limited to four goals and 11 points through 14 games – significantly below pace compared to last year’s 10 goals in 24 playoff games and this year’s 81 points in 79 regular-season games. Still, he remains Florida’s leader in average time on ice among forwards at 20:07 per game.
  • Rangy defender Niko Mikkola is expected to be available for tomorrow’s game after sustaining an apparent upper-body injury last night, Maurice said (via Eric Engels of Sportsnet). After scoring a goal in the third period, Mikkola appeared to injure his shoulder in a collision with the boards and didn’t play the final 12 minutes of the 6-2 win. Skating primarily as Jones’ partner in the postseason, the 28-year-old has five points and a plus-six rating through 15 contests while averaging 19:19 per game.
  • The “should be good to go” status is the same for winger A.J. Greer, Maurice said (per the team’s Jameson Olive). It’s unclear what ailed him, but he left the bench with just over four minutes left in the game. The fourth-line heavyweight has played in eight straight games after starting the playoffs as a healthy scratch. He’s got two goals and an assist, all coming in his last six games.

EHC Biel-Bienne Release Aleksi Heponiemi

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  • There’s a small chance that a Florida Panthers prospect could return to the organization this summer. According to a team report, the NL’s EHC Biel-Bienne have released forward Aleksi Heponiemi from his contract. Heponiemi scored 13 goals and 35 points in 59 games for EHC Biel from 2023 to 2025. Still, since the Panthers own his contractual rights in the NHL, he won’t be able to join a different team this summer unless the Panthers choose to leave him unqualified.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Sam Reinhart Listed As Out Day-To-Day

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As the Panthers look to take a stranglehold on their Eastern Conference Final series against Carolina tonight, they’ll be doing so without the services of one of their top players.  Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that forward Sam Reinhart will not play and is listed as day-to-day.

The 29-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the first period of Thursday’s game on a hit from Sebastian Aho.  He left the game and did not return although that didn’t slow Florida down as they picked up the 5-0 victory.

Reinhart didn’t score at quite the same pace as a year ago when he had 57 goals but he was certainly a core contributor this season, tallying 39 goals and 42 assists in 79 games while averaging a career-high 20:30 in ice time, a solid return on the first year of his eight-year, $69MM contract signed on the opening day of free agency last summer.  He hasn’t been quite as productive in the playoffs but is still seventh in team scoring with four goals and seven assists in 14 games.

In Reinhart’s absence, winger Jesper Boqvist will return to the lineup.  He has played in nine playoff games thus far and has a goal and an assist, both coming in the same game in the Toronto series.  Boqvist is averaging just 8:53 per game in the postseason but with Maurice not wanting to change his other lines around, the 26-year-old should be in line for a bigger role as he’ll line up on the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues.

NHL Announces General Manager Of The Year Finalists

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The Jets’ Kevin Cheveldayoff, the Stars’ Jim Nill, and the Panthers’ Bill Zito are the three finalists for this year’s Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, the league announced today.

Unlike most other major league awards, GMOTY honors take playoff performance into account. Voting for the award is also done by a jury of their peers – all 32 NHL GMs, plus a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media, comprise the voting, which takes place after the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs concludes.

Cheveldayoff is the relative newbie of the trio in terms of being included among the finalists. It’s his second time making the cut – he previously finished second in GMOTY voting after Winnipeg had its then-best season in franchise history in the 2017-18 campaign. That club had 114 points, a mark this year’s Jets beat by two en route to winning their first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history. This year’s notable moves included promoting Coach of the Year finalist Scott Arniel to the head role last offseason following Rick Bowness’ retirement as well as acquiring winger Brandon Tanev and defenseman Luke Schenn at the deadline.

His nomination stems more from identifying his core and sticking with it through ups and downs. Most of Winnipeg’s driving forces – namely Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Josh Morrissey – have been there for years and were all drafted under Cheveldayoff.

Nill, meanwhile, is going for a three-peat. He’s already one of just two GMs to win the award twice, alongside former Islanders boss Lou Lamoriello. While he’s wholly responsible for the Dallas core that’s now advanced to three straight Western Conference Finals, his in-season moves may have him well-positioned to take home the honors yet again.

Playoff performance will be a factor here – after Nill traded for and signed Mikko Rantanen to a massive eight-year, $96MM extension at the deadline, he’s returned the favor as the Conn Smythe favorite so far with a playoff-leading 9-11–20 scoring line through 14 games. His draft record among mid-to-late first-round picks in recent years, highlighted by Wyatt Johnston, Jake Oettinger, and Jason Robertson, is arguably the biggest reason they’ve been able to enter their lengthiest contention window since winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.

As for Zito, he’d have won one by now if not for Nill’s reign. He’s a finalist for the third year in a row and the fourth time overall during his stint at the helm of the Panthers. His offseason work, with depth pickups like Nate Schmidt performing well in lieu of big-name players who left in free agency following last year’s Stanley Cup win, already had them well set for a repeat. Acquiring stars Brad Marchand and Seth Jones in separate pre-deadline deals, both of whom have been among the Cats’ best postseason players, is the main reason he finds himself on this year’s list, though.

Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues Likely To Return For Game 7

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Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues will be back in the lineup for tonight’s Game 7 after missing the last two contests with an undisclosed injury, relays Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. He’ll replace Jesper Boqvist, who had directly filled Rodrigues’ spot on the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart in his absence.

Florida’s offense is back at full strength to counter the Maple Leafs’ top unit of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner, who are collectively coming off their best performance of the series in Game 6 while facing elimination. Knies was questionable for tonight’s do-or-die contest after getting banged up in the first period, but Toronto head coach Craig Berube confirmed this morning he’ll be in the lineup without any minutes restrictions.

Even before exiting the lineup, Rodrigues’ minutes were limited at times earlier in the series. He played a season-low 8:48 in Game 2 after a hit from behind by Toronto forward Scott Laughton that earned him a controversial embellishment call, and he left the Cats’ Game 4 win in the third period after a hard hit from Leafs defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Rodrigues has two points in four games in the series, both in Florida’s Game 3 overtime win. He combined with linemates Barkov and Reinhart to assist on the Panthers’ first two goals of the game and logged nearly 19 minutes of ice time, his most of any game so far in the playoffs.

The 31-year-old only has three assists in nine postseason outings this year but was an indispensable depth piece in the Panthers’ Cup win last year, scoring 7-8–15 in 24 games – including four goals and seven points in seven Stanley Cup Final games. The versatile top-nine forward hit 30 points for the fourth year in a row in the regular season, mostly playing a supporting role on Florida’s top two lines.

Poll: Who Will Win Maple Leafs/Panthers Game 7?

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Any playoff series featuring the defending Stanley Cup champions, especially when matched up against a similarly equipped opponent on paper, is usually bound to be an entertaining one. That’s what we’ve gotten in the second round between the Maple Leafs and Panthers, with a couple of wild momentum shifts resulting in a Game 7 on Sunday night.

The series didn’t start as evenly matched as most would have predicted. Some underwhelming play from Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky meant the Leafs, doubling their win total past the first round in the Auston Matthews era, took a 2-0 series lead into Sunrise. But the Panthers, who have controlled the majority of quality chances at 5-on-5 throughout the series, got more support from their All-Star netminder in Games 3 through 5 as they countered with three straight wins of their own to push Toronto to the brink in Game 6. The Leafs, perhaps taking a vital step to erase their underwhelming postseason reputation, put their best performance of the series forward with their backs against the wall with a 2-0 shutout win on the road to send the series home for a do-or-die Game 7.

Bobrovsky and Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll, who entered Game 1 in relief of starter Anthony Stolarz when he exited with apparent concussion symptoms and has started every game since, have had similar showings here in Round 2. The latter’s Game 6 shutout upped his save percentage to .893 with 0.42 goals saved above expected, while Bobrovsky’s posted a .895 SV% and 0.76 GSAx, per Natural Stat Trick.

Regarding the skaters, Florida’s best player hasn’t even played every game in the series. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been dominant after missing Game 1 due to suspension, serving as the Cats’ only point-per-game player in the series while averaging 22:34 per game. Depth has been the name of the game for Florida – every player to suit up in at least half of the series has registered a point.

It’s no surprise to see now-established playoff performer William Nylander atop the Leafs’ scoring chart with six points through six games, but the player he’s tied with is quite eye-raising. Depth veteran Max Pacioretty has turned back the clock after scoring the series-clinching goal against the Senators in the first round, rattling off two goals and four assists with a team-high plus-three rating through Game 6 of the Florida series. Averaging just 12:58 per game against the Panthers, he’s among the most efficient scorers in the league this postseason.

As for Toronto’s first-line triumvirate of Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Mitch Marner, they played their best game in Game 6. Matthews’ game-winner was his first of the series, but Knies is the only one with multiple goals in Round 2. On a highly concerning note for Toronto, he’s questionable for Game 7 after sustaining an apparent shoulder injury early in Game 6 and playing through it, head coach Craig Berube said.

While the Panthers are the road team, betting odds and most prediction sites give them the slight edge. Most betting sites have the implied odds of a Florida win around 55%, while MoneyPuck has it at just 50.2%. Of course, Toronto is 2-1 at home against the Panthers in this series and 4-2 at home so far in the playoffs.

One storyline to watch: after the first three games in the series were decided by one goal, including Florida’s come-from-behind overtime win in Game 3, the last three have been decided by two or more. Will we get more of a nail-biter Sunday night?

Let us know which team you think will win Game 7 and advance to the Eastern Conference Final – potentially the Panthers’ third straight ECF appearance or the Leafs’ first since 2002. Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thinking!

Who will win Game 7?
Florida Panthers 51.81% (760 votes)
Toronto Maple Leafs 48.19% (707 votes)
Total Votes: 1,467

If you can’t see the poll, click here to vote.

Panthers/Maple Leafs Notes: Stolarz, Rodrigues, Ekman-Larsson

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Mark Masters from TSN reported that Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was seen back on the ice this morning before the team’s practice. While there is no specific timeline for his return, this development is a positive sign.

Without sacrificing his long-term well-being, the Maple Leafs should want Stolarz back in the crease sooner rather than later, given the mixed results they’ve received from backup Joseph Woll. Despite winning the first two games of the series he appeared in, Woll only mustered a .875 SV% on 48 shots. Still, in the two most recent games that ended up in losses, Woll had a much improved .904 SV% on 73 shots.

Although anything can change this time of year, there’s little hope Stolarz will return to the Maple Leafs for Game 5. It’ll give Woll another opportunity to prove his worth, and could give Toronto more confidence in not rushing Stolarz back too early.

More notes from the Panthers and Maple Leafs series:

  • According to Jameson Olive of the Panthers organization, forward Evan Rodrigues has not been cleared for Game 5. Still, Olive noted that the team has time to decide tomorrow, but the odds aren’t in Rodrigues’ favor after leaving Game 4 early in the third period. Rodrigues left Sunday’s contest after being interfered with by Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a few games after being hit from behind by Toronto forward Scott Laughton, a play in which Rodrigues was given a two-minute embellishment penalty.
  • Meanwhile, Ekman-Larsson is expected to play Game 5, despite missing practice today (Tweet Link). Masters followed up his initial report, indicating Ekman-Larsson is dealing with a mild illness, and head coach Craig Berube wanted to prioritize his rest rather than pushing him too far in practice.

Rodrigues Not Ruled Out Of Tuesday's Game Yet

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  • It appears a decision on Evan Rodrigues’ availability will come closer to game time on Tuesday. Team reporter Rob Darragh mentions that Panthers head coach Paul Maurice indicated that the winger hasn’t been cleared to play in the fifth game against Toronto but hasn’t been ruled out yet either.  Rodrigues left Sunday’s game early in the third period following a hit from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and did not return.  He has three assists in nine games so far this postseason.

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