Panthers’ Reinhart, Mikkola, Greer to return for Game 5 vs. Hurricanes

The Florida Panthers will get a big boost to their lineup for Wednesday night’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Key injured players including winger Sam Reinhart, defenseman Niko Mikkola and winger AJ Greer all missed Game 4, but are set to return to action tonight.

The Panthers took a 3-0 series lead into Monday night’s Game 4, but the Hurricanes dug deep for a 3-0 win to send the series back to Raleigh.

Reinhart, a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward, missed each of the previous two games after leaving Game 2 due to a collision with Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho.

Mikkola did not return to Game 3 after taking a shoulder-first fall into the boards, but the Finnish blueliner made his presence felt prior to his exit, as he scored Florida’s first and third goals of the contest to open the scoring and contribute to a third-period barrage that led to a 6-1 Panthers win.

Greer is expected to join Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich in his customary fourth line role, while Reinhart should assume his customary spot on the top line with Evan Rodrigues and Aleksandr Barkov.

Reinhart has four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 14 games on this postseason run, while Mikkola has contributed three goals and two assists to go with a plus-6 rating from his defensive position.

The Panthers need just one more win against Carolina to clinch their third consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, and the group is looking to repeat as champions.

Florida swept the Hurricanes in the 2023 Eastern Conference Final, but the group blew a 3-0 series lead in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final before ultimately winning Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers.