Panthers’ Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola, A.J. Greer to miss Game 4 with injuries

The Florida Panthers will be without quite a few regulars going into a potential elimination game on Monday, as forwards Sam Reinhart and A.J. Greer and defenseman Niko Mikkola will miss Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes with injuries.

With the Panthers currently up 3-0 in their series against the Hurricanes, it’s likely that these injuries are more precautionary and they’re exercising the luxury of having four opportunities to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice announced that all three players are day-to-day during morning skate ahead of Game 4.

Reinhart had already missed Game 3 after sustaining a lower-body injury during Game 2 due to a hard hit from Sebastian Aho. There’s a bit more uncertainty regarding his return due to already missing a more important Game 3, but it’s likely that he’ll return to the lineup later in the series if it continues, or will be ready for the Stanley Cup Final.

Reinhart currently only has 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points in 14 games in the playoffs, but is coming off a regular season that saw him put up 39 goals and 42 assists for 81 points in 79 games and finish as a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the league.

Mikkola sustained an injury after he hit his shoulder hard into the boards midway through the third period of Game 3 on Saturday. He did not play for the rest of the game after that.

Mikkola has 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points in 15 games so far in the playoffs, highlighted by a strong showing in this Eastern Conference Final where he has 2 goals and 4 points in 3 games. This comes after a career-best regular season where he had 6 goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 76 games.

The cause of Greer’s injury is less known than the other two, as he played the entirety of Game 3. His last shift was with four minutes left in the game, but that was mostly due to the remaining time seeing both teams go on the power play, and Greer isn’t on any of the Panthers’ special teams units.

Greer has been solid in a fourth line role in his first playoff showing, with 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points in 11 games. This comes after also having a career-best regular season with 6 goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 81 games.

In the wake of these injuries, Jesper Boqvist will remain in the lineup for Reinhart, while Nico Sturm and Uvis Balinskis will replace Greer and Mikkola. Sturm has been held pointless in 7 games in the playoffs after a regular season that saw him get 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points in 62 games with the Panthers and San Jose Sharks. Balinskis has 1 goal in 4 games in the playoffs after a breakout season where he had 4 goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 76 games.