FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Sam Reinhart did not play again for the Florida Panthers in a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday.
The forward also did not play in Florida’s 6-2 win in Game 3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday because of a lower-body injury he sustained during the first period of a 5-0 victory in Game 2 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after an optional morning skate on Monday that Reinhart wouldn't be available for Game 4. Forward A.J. Greer and defenseman Niko Mikkola also did not play because of undisclosed injuries.
Florida, which holds a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series, is on the verge of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight season.
“We are hopeful that it’s not long term, and I mean, he is day to day and I don’t think it’s going to move out that way," Maurice said of Reinhart on Sunday. "He still has to get back on the ice. There are some steps here.”
Reinhart has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He led Florida during the regular season with 39 goals and 81 points and is a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is awarded to the best defensive forward in the NHL.
Mikkola, who scored twice Saturday, and Greer each left Game 3, but initially they were expected to play Monday. Mikkola was replaced in the lineup by defenseman Uvis Balinskis; Greer was replaced by forward Nico Sturm.
With Reinhart unavailable Saturday, Jesper Boqvist returned to the lineup and played right wing on the top line with center Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues. Boqvist scored the go-ahead goal on a breakaway at 1:29 of the third period to make it 2-1.
“They’re all day to day,” Maurice said. “I would expect hopefully at some point in this series they’ll be able to come back in and play. The determination is the three guys that I’m going to put in -- obviously, Boqvist is in again -- but the three guys I put in will perform better than those men would tonight.”
NHL.com senior writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report
