Shining Star: Reinhart Named 3rd Star of the Week

Sam Reinhart will soon have enough stars to build his own galaxy.

Recognized for the third time this season, the red-hot Panthers winger was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week for the week ending Dec. 10, the NHL announced on Monday.

The other stars were Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov (First Star) and San Jose's Tomas Hertl (Second Star).

This latest honor comes after Reinhart was already named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week for the week ending Oct. 22 and First Star of the Week for the week ending Nov. 12.

“He’s so detailed with everything he does,” teammate Carter Verhaeghe said of Reinhart’s stellar play. “He makes awesome passes and he scores. He’s a complete player and one of the best players on our team. You see it night in, night out.”

Helping the Panthers go a perfect 3-0-0 last week, Reinhart paced the NHL in scoring with eight points (one goal, seven assists) and was also tied for first in plus/minus at +6.

After posting a goal and two assists in a 5-4 win over the Stars on Wednesday, he dished out a helper in a 3-1 win over the Penguins on Friday. Not done there, he closed out the week with a four-assist showing in a 5-2 win at Columbus on Sunday.

Off to the best start of his career, Reinhart leads Florida in goals (17) and points (37).

But it’s not just his offense that has been turning heads.

Teaming up with captain Aleksander Barkov on the top line, Reinhart’s defensive metrics have also been spectacular. When he’s been on the ice at 5-on-5, the Panthers have led 423-323 in shot attempts and, most importantly, 22-8 in goals.

He's also seen the fourth-most shorthanded minutes among Florida’s forwards (57:35).

“He’s been very, very consistent,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s played big minutes. He kills penalties for us. He’s certainly a two-way player. We’re looking at his numbers as elite, but he’s really been more than just an offensive player for us.”

Reinhart will look to keep on rolling when the Panthers (17-8-2) continue their longest road trip of the campaign with a matchup against the Kraken (8-14-7) at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday.