The Florida Panthers will be a man down as they look to set up a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Final.
Star forward Sam Reinhart was ruled out for the remainder of Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes after suffering a lower-body injury, the team announced.
The incident occurred with just under five minutes left in the first period. Reinhart took a hip check from Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho as he was crossing into Carolina’s zone while on the power play.
Though he returned to the ice for a 12-second shift, he quickly retreated back to the Panthers’ dressing room and did not return for the second period.
Up to that point in the game, the 29-year-old had played 5:37 and had one hit. The Panthers were up 2-0 when he exited.
In the Panthers’ 5-2 win in Game 1, Reinhart played 21:48 — the most among Florida forwards — but was held without a point.
The Vancouver native had a solid season for the Panthers, picking up 39 goals and 42 assists over 79 regular-season games, along with four goals and seven assists in 13 post-season games.
