“We want to get greedy,” said Seth Jones before hitting the ice in Raleigh on Thursday. After a dominant victory in Game 1, the Florida Panthers looked to extend the lead against the Carolina Hurricanes once again tonight. Everything was going perfectly according to plan. That is, until disaster struck at the cost of Sam Reinhart.

The Cats were off to a brilliant start at the PNC Arena. Picking up a 2-0 lead early in the first period against the Canes, the defending champs looked every bit determined to retain the Stanley Cup in Miami. However, Sam Reinhart wouldn’t be among the ones on the ice to celebrate the possible victory. Naturally, fans weren’t exactly on board with how Carolina sought to use dirty tactics.

The incident occurred with five minutes left of the first period in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Panthers forward took a hip check from the Canes’ Sebastian Aho in the Canes’ zone and looked to be in pain as he skated off to the Florida bench. It was later announced that Sam Reinhart wouldn’t be returning to the game. The Panthers’ rinkside reporter, Katie Engleson, took to X on May 22 to share an update on the situation.

“Per #FlaPanthers PR, Sam Reinhart (lower body) will not return tonight,” Engleson wrote in her social media post. However, even after the injury, Sam Reinhart still made an attempt to stand firm beside his comrades as they sought to keep a firm control over the best-of-seven series. But his hearty effort was cut short as the forward stayed only for a 12-second shift and then went back to the Panthers’ locker room, from where he didn’t re-emerge.

But if he did manage to stay, it could have been another thunderous victory to be a part of for the Canadian. Florida looked every bit as intimidating as they have been in the postseason this year. Just 77 seconds into the game, Gus Forsling gave the visitors the lead. Matthew Tkachuk‘s goal just moments later extended the gap between the Panthers and the Hurricanes. And then, before Sam Bennett could make things sweeter for Paul Maurice’s boys, Reinhart had to leave the rink after 5:37 of play time. The Panthers ultimately whipped out a thumping 5-0 win by the end of the night. But who knows how things could have turned out for the Cats if Sam Reinhart stayed longer?

Immediately, the Panthers’ loyalists arrived with their fuming frustration. Slamming Aho’s strategy to take Reinhart out of the game as a “dirty hit,” one fan clamored, “Clearly targeted his knees.” Sam was one of the best-performing Panthers stars in the 2024-25 regular season. With 81 points (39 goals, 42 assists) in 79 regular-season games, the 29-year-old proved himself to be crucial for the Panthers to reach the playoffs despite not having Tkachuk on the roster since February. Obviously, with his future now in speculation, the fans aren’t taking things lightly.

Sam Reinhart’s hit has fans rallying together in solidarity

Like every other year, the 2025 playoffs have been wrought with injuries left and right. From the players to the refs, almost no one has been able to dodge the occasional bullets that have come flying at them. The Canes’ own, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, also had a close brush with a permanent injury in the first round of the postseason, and fans obviously believe that Carolina should know better about how such incidents can create troubles. Noting that, one fan commented, “The league better review it!” to ensure that Sebastian Aho doesn’t get away in case his hit on Reinhart was intentional.

However, it’s not like all hits or incidents warrant a strict reprimanding by the NHL. Though some are deemed harmless and the alleged star can breathe a sigh of relief. But one fan thinks the Panthers should stop relying on the top brass for this case, and instead met out justice themselves for Sam Reinhart’s woes. “Ya can’t do that. But we will pay them back,” wrote the fuming fan. One fan suggested that carrying out retribution is necessary even more so because the culprit wasn’t unaware of his actions. “Aho knew exactly what he was doing,” posited the Florida loyalist.

“Suspend Aho,” the demands only grew stronger as the minutes passed. “Dirt bag,” called out another. What was your reaction to Aho’s hit? Did you think it was a clean one, or do you believe the NHL should turn its attention on the Sam Reinhart incident? Tell us in a comment!