Panthers forward Sam Reinhart exits Game 2 after awkward hit from Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho

Everything was going the Florida Panthers‘ way early in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, but that start was dampened by an injury to star forward Sam Reinhart. In the first period, Reinhart got clipped by Carolina Hurricanes captain Sebastian Aho and will not return.

With just over five minutes remaining in the first period, Reinhart was carrying the puck into the Carolina zone when Aho attempted to throw a hip check. Aho’s hit clipped Reinhart’s left leg, and he slid into the boards.

Reinhart was able to skate back to the Florida bench, but he was in obvious discomfort before heading down the tunnel.

When Reinhart didn’t emerge from the locker room for the second period, the Panthers announced that he had been ruled out for the remainder of Game 2.

Although Aho caught Reinhart low on the check, no penalty was called in real time. As always, the NHL Department of Player Safety can review plays for supplemental discipline, even if a penalty was not called. We’ll see whether the league takes an extra look at this one on Friday.

While the Panthers are deep up front, losing Reinhart would be a significant blow to their offense.

Reinhart has scored a combined 96 goals over the last two seasons, and he tallied 10 in Florida’s Stanley Cup run last summer. He has four in 14 games so far this postseason.

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