Sam Reinhart turned 31 today and sits four points shy of 700 for his career as the Panthers head to Washington on Saturday.
He's at 696 points after 855 games, and Florida opens a back-to-back weekend against the Capitals. Four more points and the Panthers center joins the 700 club.
The scoring has been steady all season. Reinhart has 9 goals and 7 assists through 16 games, and 6 of those goals came on the power play, the most on the roster.
Earlier this week we covered Paul Maurice's explanation of Sam Reinhart's hot streak after he scored in a third straight game. This is a different piece of math.
Four points could arrive in one monster night or stretch over several games. A back-to-back weekend means two games in two nights, so the chipping can start right away. Nobody can say when it ends.
BarDown marked the birthday by bringing back his Game 7 winner in the 2024 Stanley Cup final.
How Reinhart compares with the other Panthers forwards
Carter Verhaeghe is right behind him. He has 9 goals too, 15 points overall and 5 power-play goals, which makes the two of them the top finishing pair on the man advantage.
Brady Tkachuk has 17 points on 8 goals, with 7 of his assists coming on the power play. Reinhart sits one point behind him despite playing the same 16 games.
Matthew Tkachuk leads the group with 22 points, and Matthew Tkachuk's grip on the Panthers scoring lead is built on passing. He has 4 goals and 18 assists, so the finishing is clearly coming from Reinhart and Verhaeghe.
That matters for a team at 9-5-2 with a +5 goal differential. Florida doesn't have much cushion, and Reinhart's power-play production is a big reason the margin is positive at all.
The Panthers visit a Capitals team that has lost two straight, and the milestone chase starts Saturday.
Quick hits
WASHINGTON CAPITALSGood news for the home side Saturday. Tarik El-Bashir reported that Martin Fehervary was full-go at practice and will play against the Panthers, per Spencer Carbery.
MINNESOTA WILDMarcus Foligno and Nick Foligno won't play tonight against the Sharks, according to Michael Russo. Two familiar names out at once will test the Wild's depth.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFSTerry Koshan reported that John Tavares figures he will be back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Habs. Toronto will take that news happily.
DALLAS STARSGlen Gulutzan said Miro Heiskanen is doubtful to play against San Jose on Saturday. Losing him on the blue line would be a real hit for Dallas.
ST. LOUIS BLUESJeremy Rutherford reported that Logan Mailloux has been recalled from his conditioning assignment and has joined the team ahead of the Nashville game.
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