After hitting a major milestone, can Sam Reinhart help ignite the Panthers’ offense?
Sam Reinhart’s latest milestone started on a play of desperation.
In the opening minutes of the second period Saturday, Evan Rodrigues heaved the puck toward the net, just trying to just keep it from exiting the zone and keep the Florida Panthers’ on the offensive against the Dallas Stars. The puck found Reinhart’s stick, and the star winger nearly deflected the puck past Stars goalie Casey DeSmith, but it hit the post. Carter Verhaeghe then corralled the puck and whiffed wide on a shot of his own. The puck skidded behind the net before Reinhart collected it at the red line and fired the puck back toward the net on a nearly impossible angle.
That one went in, and Reinhart had his 300th career NHL goal.
“Hopefully there are a few more that go in for me now,” Reinhart said with a smile after the Panthers’ eventual 4-3 shootout win. “Hopefully 300’s not where it stops. Plenty of hockey left. It’s nice to see it go in the net.”
The puck has been going in the net a lot for Reinhart since he joined the Panthers ahead of the 2021-22 season and in particular during the past three-plus seasons. Reinhart has 102 goals since the start of the 2023-24 season. That’s tied with Leon Draisaitl for second most in the NHL in that span, behind only 108 by Auston Matthews. Overall Reinhart has 166 goals in 333 games with the Panthers, essentially averaging a goal every other game during his Florida tenure.
The goal total is fourth in franchise history, trailing only Aleksander Barkov (286), Jonathan Huberdeau (198) and Olli Jokinen (188). Getting up to second in franchise history by season’s end isn’t out of the question.
His 73 power-play goals are second in Panthers history behind Barkov’s 84. His 11 short-handed goals are fourth in Florida history behind Radek Dvorak (16), Barkov (13) and Tom Fitzgerald (12).
It doesn’t factor in his 32 playoff goals, including 21 during the past two postseasons in which Florida has won the Stanley Cup and eight total on the power play.
Also a defensive whiz, Reinhart has finished in the top four of voting for the Selke Trophy, given annually to the NHL’s top defensive forward, each of the past two years.
“His shot is really underrated,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Just the quickness to be able to get the right angle. He changes his shot. Sometimes they’re heaters. Sometimes he picks his spot. He’s got fantastic eyes. He sees the game very well.”
Added Rodrigues: “He’s so, so smart. He’s always in the right spot at the right time, always making the little plays. His brain works faster than 99% of the league. That’s what makes him so successful.”
It has been on display as of late for the Panthers — and the Panthers have needed it. Reinhart is tied with Brad Marchand for the team lead with six goals this season as the Panthers (6-5-1) start a four-game West Coast trip against the Anaheim Ducks (7-3-1) on Tuesday (10 p.m., Scripps Sports). He has goals in four consecutive games after logging just two goals through Florida’s first eight games.
Four of his six goals have come at 5-on-5, an area where the Panthers have struggled to score this season.
Entering the week, the Panthers’ 19 goals at 5-on-5 were tied with the Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia Flyers for the third-fewest in NHL despite Florida ranking 10th in the NHL with 26.51 expected goals at full strength, according to Natural Stat Trick. The minus-7.51 differential between actual goals and expected goals at 5-on-5 is the fourth-worst in the league behind the Wild (minus-9..71), Washington Capitals (minus-8.28) and New York Rangers (minus-8.05).
The Panthers have kept games close despite the scoring struggle because their defense has remained top-tier. Florida’s 17 goals allowed when game is at full strength are tied with the Seattle Kraken for the second-fewest in the league; only Washington (16) has allowed fewer.
If the offense can get going, it could open things up mightily for the Panthers.
They saw glimpses on Saturday. The Panthers scored all three of their regulation goals against the Stars at 5-on-5, which is tied for their most in a game so far this season.
“Sometimes [defense] slips when it’s not going for you offensively,” Reinhart said, “but they’ve been reinforcing to us on days off that that’s not been the case. We’re right there defensively. We’ve picked the pace up a little bit offensively. It’s nice to see a few go in the net. Hopefully we can get our confidence from that.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 10:54 AM.
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