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Panthers' Sam Reinhart Ejected for Dangerous Knee-On-Knee Hit

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jan 19, 2025 5:45 AM ET

Florida Panthers star Sam Reinhart was ejected from Saturday’s 3–0 win over the Anaheim Ducks after delivering a knee-on-knee hit to Isac Lundestrom late in the first period.

Reinhart received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the play, which left Lundestrom unable to continue. The Ducks forward had to be helped off the ice and did not return.

The Panthers forward launched his body at full speed toward the boards while Lundestrom was carrying the puck behind the net. Reinhart, however, left his right leg dangerously open and caught the Ducks player on the knee.

The hit sparked an immediate melee as Ducks players stepped in to defend their injured teammate.

Sam Reinhart was given a five minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing on Isac Lundeström pic.twitter.com/b3iHbcI5h3
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 18, 2025

Reinhart, who played just 4:34 before being tossed, will now have the incident reviewed by the NHL Department of Player Safety as all misconduct penalties lead to automatic reviews by the league, potentially leading to suspensions.

Despite this being Reinhart's first game misconduct in 743 NHL games, the play is likely to draw scrutiny due to its severity. In any case, the Panthers forward might escape further punishment as he is not considered a "repeat offender" under the NHL rulebook.

Reinhart entered the game as Florida’s leading scorer, tallying 27 goals and 51 points in 46 games. Despite his absence, the Panthers found success without him, beating the Ducks 3-0 on Saturday with goals by Jesper Boqvist, Anton Lundell, and Gustav Forsling.

The win helped Florida move closer to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division standings. The Panthers have a 27-17-3 record and 57 points but still trail the Maple Leafs (60 points) and their 29-16-2 record.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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