Panthers Need More from Sam Reinhart

Reinhart is in a deep slump as he hasn't scored since Game 7 of Round 2. He has just four goals in 17 games, the same amount as third-liner Eetu Luostarinen, which is good for fifth most on the team, according to NHL.com. 

During last year's Cup run, Reinhart was second on the team in goals with 10, coming off a 57-goal regular season. Reinhart didn't quite reach 57 this past regular season, but his 39 goals shouldn't indicate that he's slowing down, so what's wrong?

Well, for one thing, his expected goals across all situations has dropped significantly. Last year, he finished with a team-best 11.2 rating, whereas this year, he's tied for third with a 5.7 tally, per MoneyPuck.com, suggesting he's had a tougher time generating offence.

Now, part of the reason why we've seen Reinhart's offence decline could be due to the gruesome hit to the knee he received from Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, a hit that made him miss Games 3 and 4 of that series.

And if that's the case, it shouldn't be all that surprising that Reinhart hasn't found the back of the net more.

Reinhart Should Return to His Office

You see, during Reinhart's remarkable 57-goal campaign last year, he was the main beneficiary of the classic bumper play, where he would receive a pass to the slot from below the opponent's goal line, where he would then one-time it home. It's there Reinhart scored the majority of his goals during last year's regular season and playoffs. 

According to NHLEdge.com, of Reinhart's 10 goals last playoffs, four were scored from the same area he scored his career-best in, the most out of any area on the ice he scored from during last year's post-season. This year, he's got just one goal from his sweet spot, and it may be due to him still battling whatever leg injury he endured from the Aho hit. 

You see, most of the goals that Reinhart would score from his office would come off of one-timers, shots that require a lot of leg power, so with him battling a leg injury, does it limit his ability to fire his patent one-timer?

Now, this is all speculation, but it's definitely something to wonder about since we know that the Panthers still like to have one of their forwards idling in the opposing team's slot. It just hasn't been Reinhart. Instead, it's been Carter Verhaeghe, who's a goal-scorer himself, so perhaps the Panthers are trying to replace one goal-getter with another. 

The problem with Reinhart's lack of scoring could also purely come from the fact that he's just not shooting enough. He's shot 28 fewer shots than he did last playoffs, plus his shooting percentage is down 4.8 percent. If shooting is the issue for Reinhart, maybe he’ll just have to shoot his way out of the funk to make up for lost time. 

If Florida wants to become back-to-back Stanley Cup Champs for the second time in Sunshine State history, they'll need their most talented goal-scorer to start putting the puck in the back of the net, and it might begin with him returning to the same area that’s made him one of the game’s most dangerous goal-scorers.