Panthers without Reinhart, Mikkola, Greer for G4

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers volition beryllium without a trio of injured players for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals connected Monday night, arsenic they look to expanse the Carolina Hurricanes and beforehand to their 3rd consecutive Stanley Cup Final.

Top-line guardant Sam Reinhart volition miss his 2nd consecutive crippled with a lower-body wounded suffered connected a deed from Carolina halfway Sebastian Aho successful Game 2. Defenseman Niko Mikkola volition miss the crippled aft slamming his enarthrosis hard into the extremity boards midway done the 3rd play of their Game 3 win. Fourth-line guardant A.J. Greer, who was besides injured successful Game 3, volition beryllium retired of the lineup arsenic well.

Florida manager Paul Maurice said each 3 players are "day-to-day."

"I would expect, hopefully, astatine immoderate constituent successful this bid they'll beryllium capable to travel backmost in," helium said. "But the determination is the 3 guys that I enactment successful volition execute amended than those men would tonight."

Jesper Boqvist acceptable the barroom precocious for wounded replacements successful Game 3. He drew successful for Reinhart, playing alongside skipper Aleksander Barkov connected the apical line. He had a extremity and 2 assists, scoring a captious third-period extremity that broke a 1-1 necktie and sent the Panthers connected a five-goal rampage implicit the adjacent 10 minutes and 11 seconds.

Defenseman Uvis Balinskis volition slot successful for Mikkola. He played 76 games successful the regular play and different 4 games successful the playoffs, averaging 12:05 per game. He did spot constricted clip successful the regular play with Seth Jones, who had been Mikkola's partner.

The Panthers volition miss Mikkola, who has six points successful 15 games and has been outstanding connected some ends of the ice. Maurice compared it to the squad missing defenseman Aaron Ekblad for 4 games of the postseason.

"We're going to miss [Niko]. But Uvis Balinskis has been a subordinate that's travel successful and played exceptionally well," Maurice said.

The manager said helium agonized implicit leaving Balinskis retired of the lineup erstwhile the playoffs started.

"We'll get an excited feline successful the lineup tonight. He doesn't merit to beryllium watching hockey games. His play says helium deserves to beryllium playing games," Maurice said.

Veteran guardant Nico Sturm draws successful for Greer connected the team's 4th enactment with Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich. Greer had 3 points successful 11 games for the Panthers, skating 8:05 per crippled connected average. Strum had nary points successful his 7 appearances, averaging 9:16 per game.

The Panthers are trying to expanse the Hurricanes successful the league finals for the 2nd clip successful 3 seasons, having outscored them 16-4 successful 3 wins. Barkov said the defending Stanley Cup champions person learned a batch astir closing retired bid implicit their past 3 runs to the league finals.

"Just don't deliberation excessively overmuch ahead," helium said. "You conscionable dainty it arsenic different game. We're ever prepared to springiness our champion each azygous crippled and we larn from each game. Now we person different large accidental tonight."