Reinhart continuing to elevate Panthers in Stanley Cup Playoffs

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Sam Reinhart had no idea he's on the verge of joining Pavel Bure in the Florida Panthers record book. 

And for someone who grew up in Vancouver, he was thrilled. 

"I'm aware now," Reinhart said Tuesday when told he's one goal away from tying Bure for most regular-season and postseason goals combined in a season for the Panthers. "I was a Vancouver kid. That's someone you grew up watching and idolizing, so any time you can be mentioned with someone like that, it's a pretty nice touch."

Reinhart's touch around the net has been more than nice this season and it's a big reason he's in Bure's company. The 28-year-old scored 57 goals in the regular season and had Florida's first goal in its 3-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round, giving him 58 for the year.

Bure, who played his first seven NHL seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, was traded to the 
Panthers on January 17 1999, and scored 58 regular-season goals and one postseason goal in 1999-2000, and 59 regular-season goals in 2000-01. 

Bure, known as the "Russian Rocket," used his incredible speed and skill to score most of his goals; he had 437 during the regular season and 35 in the postseason, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. 

Reinhart, on the other hand, has become a threat near the goal crease. 

Of his 57 goals in the regular season, 34 came in the high-danger area, which was second to Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (44) for most in the NHL, according to NHL Edge statistics. His high-danger shooting percentage was 35.1 percent, third best in the NHL behind Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers (36.6 percent) and Daniel Sprong of the Detroit Red Wings (35.7 percent). 

His overall shooting percentage was 24.5 percent, the highest in the NHL among skaters to play at least 50 games. His previous high was 19.2 percent when he scored 25 goals for the Buffalo Sabres in 2020-21. 

Reinhart's goal in Game 1 came from in close, the forward gently deflecting a point shot from defenseman Gustav Forsling under the glove of Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. 

He did not score in Florida's 3-2 win in Game 2 on Tuesday, so his next chance to tie and maybe pass Bure will come in Game 3 of the best-of-7 series at Amalie Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, TBS, BSFLX, BSSUN, BSFL, TVAS2, SN), when the Panthers seek to take a 3-0 series lead.

It's more than likely, when that goal comes, it will be from close to the net.

"I've always found that's the easiest spot to score," Reinhart said. "My shot is probably more effective in those areas, getting it off, instead of being on the perimeter, beating a goalie clean. That's just not as easy for me to do, so trying to find those areas, around the net, and that's where I've had the most success."

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Reinhart is not only excellent at scoring from in close, but he knows where to be.   

"He goes to the net at the smart times, he's scored within a 15-to 20-foot area of the net from all different sides. Both sides of the net," Maurice said.  "(Panthers forward) Matthew Tkachuk is so great at that, it's almost like Reinhart kind of learns; he's watches he way he rolls across the front of the net. I wonder if in some ways a mentor." 

Reinhart said it's a no-brainer to try to learn from Tkachuk and his teammates. 

"Any time you are around a player like that, you would be a little dumb not to take some things from that," Reinhart said. "I'm always trying to learn, always trying to learn ways to get better."

And there is no question Reinhart has gotten better. In his previous eight seasons with the Sabres and Panthers, he averaged 24 goals per season, his previous NHL career high of 33 coming in 2021-22.

Maurice said he didn't know the magic formula on how to turn a 30-goal-scorer into a 50-60-goal-scorer, but he knows how Reinhart got there.  

"I think you have to be the kind of person, first of all, that has the capacity to work, so he worked very, very hard at the small things that make the player a little quicker, a little faster," Maurice said. "And then you are the benefactor of the people you play with. (Panthers center Aleksander) Barkov has had an incredible year for us. The same way too (Carter) Verhaeghe, Reinhart's been the recipient of those kinds of passes. 

"So the people around you, and then the greatest question of all, is it's not such goal-scoring. It's confidence. How do you give a guy confidence … make him feel good about his game, even when he's not, but he should?"

When asked what's different from previous seasons, Reinhart said, "a lot has changed."

"Obviously you get some early confidence and it's easy to carry over for the rest of the season. You know, put in some pretty good spots and take advantage of some good opportunities," he said. "But I think it's just a little more urgency on the offensive side of the puck, and that's led to a little bit more success." 

The confidence came early when he scored seven goals in his first six games. He caught fire around Christmas, scoring an NHL-leading 21 goals from Dec. 23-Feb. 10. The stretch included scoring 10 goals in an eight-game goal streak from Jan. 2-Jan. 17 that helped him earn a trip the 2024 NHL All-Star Game.

"I think [confidence] snowballs when it starts to go in," Reinhart said. "I think there are a number of different factors, for me, a lot of it comes from preparation off the ice, being able to feel my best and have a lot of energy on the ice, that's where a lot of confidence comes from."

So how do you stop a guy who not only seems to be in the right place at the right time in front of the net, but also has the power and skill to put the puck in the net? 

"He's got a good stick, and he had a good season," Lightning forward Nicholas Paul said. "We just can't give him time and space, don't let him get his shot off and don't let him get to pucks."

What's impressed Maurice the most about Reinhart is that he is not just a one-dimensional player. 

"Why is he so good? Because he's a goal-scorer like that, but he'll be on the ice at the end of a game and also killing penalties at the end of game if we have a one-goal lead," Maurice said. "If you were to ask me what's his greater value, I don't have an answer."

As for Reinhart's value, that keeps growing, perfect timing for a player who can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. 

Maurice, clearly not wanting to lose Reinhart this offseason, jokingly said the forward has one issue other teams should be aware of. 

"I would say that nobody else should sign him in the offseason because he's got a terrible attitude," Maurice said.  

But seriously … 

"He's just worked his butt off his whole career," Maurice said, "and a bunch of things came together."