With 36 games left in the regular season, Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart has already set his career high in goals with 34 — one more than his previous best that took him 78 games to reach.
Reinhart will try to extend his points streak to 11 games on Wednesday night when the Panthers play host to the Arizona Coyotes in Sunrise, Fla.
During his 10-game streak, Reinhart has 11 goals and three assists. Going back further, Reinhart has 16 goals over his past 14 contests.
The Panthers snapped their four-game losing streak on Monday night with a 4-1 win over the host Nashville Predators. Florida prevailed despite center and captain Aleksander Barkov missing his third straight game due to a lower-body injury. Barkov, who plays stellar defense, also leads Florida with 35 assists.
In addition, defenseman Gus Forsling missed the game due to personal reasons.
“We were missing two big pieces, and we knew it was going to be a hard-grind game,” Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. “Guys are stepping up and playing bigger roles and more minutes. That’s all you can ask.”
The Panthers on Wednesday are expected to start goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (21-10-2, 2.55 goals-against average, .908 save percentage). Florida has lost his last three starts, as he’s allowed 10 goals during that span.
Backup goalie Anthony Stolarz beat the Predators on Monday. He is 7-4-2 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.12 GAA.
The Coyotes, meanwhile, are coming off a 5-2 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. Prior to that, the Penguins had won 11 straight games against Arizona.
With that streak snapped, the Coyotes are set to embark on a three-game road trip, which begins at Florida on Wednesday. After those three contests comes NHL All-Star Weekend Feb. 1-3 in Toronto.
“Everybody knows that the (All-Star) break is coming up,” Coyotes center Alex Kerfoot said. “We’ve talked about playing hard and finding ways to win games before the break.”
The Coyotes, who are 15-9-0 at home but just 8-10-3 on the road, are led in assists by Matias Maccelli (24). Clayton Keller tops the Coyotes in goals (19) and points (42).
Another player to watch is 19-year-old rookie center Logan Cooley, the 2022 third overall draft pick who has four goals and 18 assists in 45 games this season.
The Coyotes also employ two former Panthers first-round selections: Nick Bjugstad (19th pick in 2010) and Lawson Crouse (11th choice in 2015). Bjugstad is tied for fifth on the team with 27 points. Crouse is tied for third with 28 points.
Karel Vejmelka, 27, was Arizona’s top goalie last season, but that has flipped in the current campaign.
Connor Ingram, 26, has already reached career highs in games and wins. He is 17-9-1 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.47 GAA. Vejmelka is 6-10-2 with an .895 save percentage and a 3.32 GAA.
Andre Tourigny, who is in his third season coaching Arizona, wants his Coyotes playing a two-way game with speed and edge. So far it’s working, as the Coyotes appear to be significantly improved from last season’s 28-win team.
–Field Level Media