Sam Reinhart took a seat at a table in the Buffalo Bandits’ locker room and reflected on how unusual it felt to return to KeyBank Center for the first time since his trade to the Florida Panthers in July.
“It’s nice coming back,” Reinhart said following the Panthers’ morning skate Monday. “It seems like a long time ago, especially at this time of year when you’ve played so many games with a new team.”
Reinhart faced the Sabres back on Dec. 2 in Sunrise, Fla., when he totaled one goal and three assists in the Panthers’ come-from-behind 7-4 win over his former team. The Panthers (37-13-5) now sit second in the Atlantic Division, only one point behind Tampa Bay, entering the game Monday night against Buffalo. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
Reinhart is the same talented scorer and playmaker that he was for six seasons in Buffalo, albeit in a different role. But he’s finally on a deep team that’s considered a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. The Panthers lead the NHL in goals and shots on goal, deploying arguably the best forward lineup in the league.
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Interim coach Andrew Brunette has so many talented forwards that Reinhart has mostly skated at right wing on the third line. A slight dip in ice time – 17 minutes, 25 seconds is his lowest average since 2017-18 – and a different role haven’t hindered Reinhart’s ability to impact the game.
Across 52 games, Reinhart has 18 goals and 52 points, the latter of which is only 13 fewer than his career high. Since Jan. 1, Reinhart has 28 points in 21 games, and he ranks second on the team with six power-play goals.
“It's kind of weird going into a new group early on,” Reinhart said. “It didn't come easy right away, you know, kind of had to learn how to play that system and get comfortable in that environment. I think once I did that, it's been a lot of fun to play in with this group of guys.”
The Panthers acquired Reinhart to supplement an excellent core that includes Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad. Reinhart has played up and down the lineup, but he’s typically paired with rookie center Anton Lundell, who will likely be a Calder Trophy finalist.
Reinhart was a restricted free agent when the Sabres traded the 2014 second overall draft pick to the Panthers in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick and goalie prospect Devon Levi, who’s amid a record-setting sophomore season at Northeastern University. Levi, 20, has a .953 save percentage, 1.45 goals-against average, 20-8-1 record and 10 shutouts.
The Sabres knew it was too late to sign Reinhart to a long-term extension. Reinhart told reporters following the trade that he was “always prepared” to commit to remaining in Buffalo but a contract offer never allowed that to happen. Set to depart as an unrestricted free agent in July 2022, Reinhart was traded and quickly signed a three-year contract with Florida that carries a $6.5 million annual cap hit.
Now, instead of preparing to see teammates leave for a contender at the deadline, Reinhart is part of a club that will be a buyer at the March 21 deadline.
“These are the moments you want to be, you know, competitive,” said Reinhart. “I'm learning, I'm really embracing the challenge and the opportunity and having fun with it.”
Brunette told reporters that goalie Spencer Knight will start for the Panthers. Knight, 20, was recalled from Charlotte following an impressive stretch in the American Hockey League, but he has an .898 save percentage in 18 games with Florida this season.
Craig Anderson is the expected starter for the Sabres (18-31-8) and needs only one win to become the sixth American-born goalie with 300 for his career.
Winger Alex Tuch participated in the optional morning skate Monday after colliding with the goal post in the third period Sunday afternoon. Tuch told reporters Monday afternoon that scans cleared him of structural damage to the area and that he going to be a game-time decision.
Defenseman Henri Jokiharju was on the ice with the team for the first time since he suffered a lower-body injury on Feb. 23.
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