Panthers get Reinhart, Mikkola, Greer back for Game 5 vs. Canes - ESPN

RALEIGH — The Florida Panthers are getting some key reinforcements back for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night.

Top-line winger Sam Reinhart, defenseman Niko Mikkola and energy forward A.J. Greer will all return to the Panthers' lineup after missing their Game 4 loss to the Carolina, in which the Hurricanes avoided a sweep and sent the series back to Raleigh. Coach Paul Maurice said all three are healthy enough to play and none will have their minutes limited in Game 5.

Reinhart missed both games in Florida with a lower-body injury suffered on a hit from Carolina center Sebastian Aho in Game 2. His absence was felt the most on the Panthers' power play, which went 0-for-4 in both their Game 3 win and Game 4 loss.

Reinhart led the Panthers in power-play points (30) during the regular season, also leading them in overall points (81). He has two power-play points in 14 playoff games.

Maurice said Reinhart's «elite level of skill» changes things for the Florida power play.

«It's just the finishing ability. It changes the way you view our power play when he's not there, in terms of who you've got to cover,» he said, saying that there's nothing the Carolina penalty kill is doing all that differently in the past two games. «I don't feel that there's been a structural change that caused us a problem, either in what we were doing or if there was something that they had significantly keyed in on.»

Reinhart is expected to return to the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues.

Mikkola missed Game 4 after slamming his shoulder hard into the end boards midway through the third period of Florida's Game 3 win. He's been one of the best defensemen for the Panthers in the postseason while partnered with