After opening up a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Hurricanes, the Panthers are riding high.
The defending Stanley Cup champions look a worthy candidate to return to hockey’s promised land, fending off a Carolina side that gave the East’s best side, the Capitals, fits en route to a 4-1 series win.
Florida has enjoyed sterling play on both sides of the ice. Its offense is marked by its goal-scoring flourish — the Panthers have notched 16 goals across three ECF matches.
Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky, Aaron Ekblad and Co. have shepherded Florida’s defense to dominant displays to start the series.
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All that amounts to a seemingly insurmountable advantage for head coach Paul Maurice’s bunch. Things might get a bit more challenging come Game 4, however — Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola and AJ Greer all suffered injuries in recent matches.
Here’s the latest on the Panthers’ injury report ahead of what could Monday night’s joust.
Panthers injury report
Sam Reinhart injury update
Reinhart will miss out on Game 4, Maurice announced on Monday morning. The Panthers star’s absence isn’t all that surprising — he was ruled out of Game 3 after sustaining a lower-body injury early in Florida’s 5-0 win in Game 2.
With 2:08 left in the first period, Reinhart — attempting to weave his way through the offensive zone — absorbed a hit from Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes center appeared to connect with Reinhard’s left knee when he delivered his hit.
Sam Reinhart has gone to the dressing room following this hit from Sebastian Aho pic.twitter.com/7OIFajHkLq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 23, 2025
Reinhart grimaced while skating to the bench. He disappeared into the dressing room, failing to re-enter the game.
Reinhart underwent testing on Friday. Maurice listed him as “day-to-day.”
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Reinhart was Florida’s leading scorer in the regular season, tallying 81 points (39 goals, 42 assists) in 79 games. He’s a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the league’s best defensive forward in a given season. A formidable two-way talent with a scoring touch like few others, Reinhart has continued to flourish in postseason play, notching 11 points in 14 games thus far.
Filling his void in the lineup is backup winger Jesper Boqvist. The 26-year old played sparingly during the regular season. But he found life in his first significant postseason action in Game 3, collecting one goal and two assists as the Panthers opened up a 3-0 lead over their weary opposition.
“Bokey has been so good every time he’s been in the lineup,” Panthers forward Brad Marchand said, per the Associated Press. “Huge play by him. … It gave us the confidence to be able to continue to build.”
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Niko Mikkola injury update
Maurice revealed Mikkola won’t take part in Game 4. The Finnish defenseman was felled by injury in Game 3 after slamming his shoulder hard into the end boards midway through the third period.
Maurice listed Mikkola as “day-to-day”, suggesting he could be back by the end of the series.
Mikkola has been stellar as of late, firing two strikes past Pyotr Kochetkov in Game 3. He’s got four points in three games this series, all while helping marshal one of the NHL’s most fearsome defensive units.
“We’re going to miss [Niko],” Maurice said, per ESPN.
Left-hander Uvis Balinskis will fill Mikkola’s stead in the second-line pairing alongside Seth Jones. Balinskis played in 76 games during the regular, averaging 12:05 a contest. He also has some experience with Jones, partnering with him a few times this year.
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Maurice said it was hard to leave him out of Florida’s postseason lineup.
“We’ll get an excited guy in the lineup tonight. He doesn’t deserve to be watching hockey games. His play says he deserves to be playing games,” Maurice said.
AJ Greer injury update
Rounding out the trifecta of Panthers players dealt with injuries is Greer, a fourth-line winger whose impact is most clearly felt in the creases.
Maurice said Greer will miss Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. He, too, was listed as “day-to-day.”
Greer has three points, seven blocked shots and 44 hits in 11 postseason appearances. Veteran forward Nico Sturm will draw in for the Canadian on Monday night. He failed to record a point in his first seven games this playoffs.
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