Hockey Day in South Florida kicks off

By Bill Whitehead SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers rang in Monday’s Hockey Day in South Florida with a twi-night doubleheader with the Nashville Predators at BankAtlantic Center. The attendance wasn’t overwhelming for the first game, and the Panthers dropped a 5-3 decision to its Western Conference opponent, but Steven Reinprecht, Angelo Esposito and Greg Rallo were players who stood out for the Cats. Reinprecht, a native of Edmonton, was put on loan by Florida to Adler Manheim of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) last season. After playing 29 games for the Panthers, the 35-year-old Reinprecht fell into former head coach Pete DeBoer’s doghouse. In the DEL, Reinprecht tallied 13 points in 18 games. New Florida coach Kevin Dineen, though, said he likes Reinprecht’s “jump.” The left-handed shooting forward, who played on a line with Sean Bergenheim and Ryan Carter against Nashville, recorded an assist and nearly stuffed a shot p...