George Richards, FHN Publisher
SUNRISE —Lost amid the first losing streak of the season for the Florida Panthers is what Sam Reinhart has been doing.
On Saturday night, Reinhart scored a goal.
Yes, another one.
Reinhart is having yet another spectacular season. Any thoughts that he would regress from what he did last season have faded away.
Because it simply has not happened.
Reinhart, who scored a career-high 57 goals in the regular season before getting ten more in the playoffs, is off to a better start than the last.
Reinhart had 15 goals through his first 21 games last season; he has 16 in this one.
It is not much of a difference, but still.
Reinhart goes into tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals trying to extend his career-high 13-game scoring streak.
He had one of those last year, too.
“A lot of it comes from the confidence you get when you have consistent success, and the numbers are there to fall back on,’’ Reinhart told FHN.
“For me, I get confidence from my preparation. I have been very consistent with my routine over mu career, and that provides me with a lot of confidence. The biggest thing is sticking with my game even in times where maybe I don’t have that certain jump, maybe do not have the right energy in a game. But you still have to produce.’’
The latest struggles by the Panthers are well documented.
After winning seven straight, Florida has fallen into a rut with losses in the past five of six — including three straight.
The losses have overshadowed Reinhart’s nightly highlights.
Reinhart, who had a 13-game scoring streak from Jan. 2-27 last season, is tied with Jonathan Huberdeau (2021-22) and Pavel Bure (1999-00) for the second-longest scoring runs in franchise history.
Mike Hoffman scored in 17 straight games during the 2017-18 season.
During Reinhart’s 13-game streak, he has scored 11 of his 16 goals.
He is tied with Leon Draisaitl for the NHL lead.
Reinhart is also only the scored player in Florida history to score 50 goals in a single calendar year — not counting the playoffs.
Since Jan. 1, Reinhart has 50 goals for the Panthers. Bure had 57 in 2000, and 50 in 2001.
Last season, most of his goals came while on a line with Sasha Barkov.
With Barkov out due to injury, Reinhart was reunited with Anton Lundell — his center for much of his first two seasons with the Panthers.
Five of Reinhart’s goals came in eight games with Lundell.
Coach Paul Maurice had considered keeping Lundell and Reinhart together when Barkov returned — only to put them back on the top line when Barkov came back Oct. 28 in Buffalo.
Lo and behold, Reinhart scored in that game as well.
“It’s good because we all think the game similarly which makes for a smooth transition,” Reinhart said of his on-ice relationship with his two favorite Finnish centers.
“It is nice to have those options, whether it comes during a season or in the middle of a game, to be able to switch things up a bit. Sometimes it provides a needed jolt, or perhaps there is something missing. It is nice to have that. Sometimes you see us change things in a tight game or when we’re chasing it a little bit. It can provide a spark. It may not be something that anyone is doing, but it can give a jolt to our game.”
Reinhart came to the Panthers before the start of the 2021-22 season in a trade with Buffalo.
A restricted free agent, it was not much of a secret Reinhart had his fill of the endless rebuild in Buffalo and he helped facilitate a trade to the Panthers.
It has certainly worked out for all of them.
Reinhart agreed to a three-year contract with the Panthers after the trade, and the team’s trajectory has been on the upswing since culminating in the Stanley Cup championship.
He says he liked what the Panthers were building in 2021 and wanted to be a part of it.
“Chucky was in sort of the same spot where, you’re not a UFA but you can kind of control things to a certain extent,’’ said Reinhart, who signed an eight-year deal with the Panthers on June 30. “This was a team and an environment that I wanted to surround myself in. When I got here for training camp, Day 1, I noticed that right away. Chucky said the same thing when he got here.
“It is infectious when you are surrounded by it every day. You could see it in the Covid year; we didn’t play them, because there were four separate leagues, but you could see something going on here. I saw an opportunity to win here, I liked what they were building.”