Wayne Gretzky makes his thoughts clear on $69,000,000 Panthers star's injury absence amidst 3-0 lead against Hurricanes

Wayne Gretzky spoke about Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart during Saturday’s NHL on TNT broadcast. Reinhart missed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final due to a lower-body injury, and the Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 without him. They now lead the series 3-0.

Reinhart, who is on an eight-year, $69,000,000 contract, was injured in Game 2 after a low hit from Sebastian Aho. He left the ice and didn’t return, and coach Paul Maurice said later that Reinhart is day-to-day.

Gretzky said that Reinhart is one of the league’s best players.

"I know everybody's saying the right things, next man up, and we'll put this guy in and we're comfortable with him, but Reinhart is one of the best players in the National Hockey League," Gretzky said. "He's a two-way player. He takes face-offs and kills penalties. He's tremendous on the power play.

"It's going to be hard to replace a guy like that. They're going to need everybody jumping in. One guy just doesn't replace Reinhart, though."

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Jesper Boqvist replaced Reinhart in the lineup. He played on the top line with Aleksander Barkov. Boqvist had one goal and two assists in the game. He also finished with a plus-four rating.

Reinhart leads the Panthers with 43 goals this season (39 in the regular season and four in the playoffs). He has scored 11 points in 14 playoff games. During the regular season, he had 81 points and played a key role on special teams.

Boqvist has scored two goals and three assists in ten playoff games. He was a healthy scratch before Game 3 but filled in well.

The Panthers are one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk took revenge for Sebastian Aho's hit on Sam Reinhart

Matthew Tkachuk took matters into his own hands late in Game 3. At 10:30 in the third period, with Florida leading 6-1, Tkachuk went after Sebastian Aho. It appeared to be retribution for Aho’s earlier hit on Sam Reinhart.

Tkachuk first backchecked Aho near center ice. Then, as Aho skated towards the boards by the Panthers' net, Tkachuk pushed him, grabbed him and brought him down. But soon, referees stepped in and stopped the fight.

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Tkachuk received a roughing penalty and a game misconduct. Tkachuk wasn’t going to let Reinhart’s injury go unanswered.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience in the writing industry. He has expertise in sports, product, and travel content writing. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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Edited by Ribin Peter