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Florida is known by many as the home to beautiful beaches, daunting hurricanes, monstrous alligators, Disney World and the infamous “Florida Man.” However, most people don’t expect Florida to be home to one of the deepest rivalries in the NHL, between the Tampa Bay Lightning in the central part of the state, and the Florida Panthers in the south. Fans of both teams are fiercely loyal, and because they aren’t geographically far apart, fans travel to pack out the hosting team’s barn for the “Battle of Florida.”
This NHL season, the “Battle of Florida” rivalry is being taken to a whole new level. Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov and Florida Panthers right wing Sam Reinhart are neck and neck for most goals scored. Both wingers are exceptionally talented and are key members of their teams. Which one will come out on top, bringing the glory back to the Sunshine State for their team?
The Deets on Kucherov
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Since he first stepped foot onto the ice in a Lightning jersey, Kucherov has been one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league. During his third NHL season in 2015-16, he hit the 30-goal milestone for the first time. The following season, he made 30 goals seem like a walk in the park, besting that by 10 to hit the 40-goal milestone. In the 2017-18 season, he hit the 100-point milestone for the first time, which is something he has done every year since, except for the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons. He also reached the prestigious 700-point milestone in a Lightning record of 621 games, besting the previous record by 75 games. Additionally, last season he became the fifth player in NHL history to reach the 100-assist milestone during a single season.
Kucherov has also led the Lightning to two back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2020 and 2021. During the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he led all players in scoring with 34 points, including seven goals and 27 assists. Even after missing the entire regular season because of an injury in 2021, Kucherov still came back to lead the playoffs in points with eight goals and 24 assists. Besides two Stanley Cup rings, in 2019, he won the Art Ross Trophy for being the top scorer in the NHL, the Hart Memorial Trophy for being the most valuable player in the league and the Ted Lindsay Award for being the most outstanding player.
The Deets on Reinhart
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Reinhart has hockey in his blood. Both his father and his brothers played in the NHL, and he was picked second overall in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres after scoring 105 points while playing with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League. However, his first season with Buffalo came off to a slow start and he was sent back to the WHL. During the 2015-16 season, he stayed in Buffalo where he had a solid rookie year, scoring 23 goals and tallying 42 points in 79 games. He became a solid player on the Sabres roster, but he wasn’t particularly a standout. After seven seasons in Buffalo, he was traded to the Florida Panthers in 2021.
It wasn’t until this past season that a switch flipped for Reinhart. He went from being the Panthers’ workhorse to being one of the biggest offensive menaces in the league. This past March, he became the sixth player in NHL history to score 25 power play goals during a single season. Additionally, he was the second player ever to score 25 goals on-the-man advantage and five short-handed goals, also during a single season. Furthermore, he had his first 50-goal season, making him the second Panther to accomplish the feat, and ranking him second in the league overall. He also scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Panthers, making him the fourth player ever to score 50 goals and a Cup-winning goal in a season.
So Far This Season
Kucherov has 11 goals and 13 assists with 24 points in 15 games, meanwhile Reinhart has 13 goals and 12 assists with 25 points in 17 games. Though both players have good +/- ratings (which measure their team’s scoring vs their opponent’s scoring when the player is in the game), Reinhart currently has a higher rating with +10 while Kucherov has +7.
Courtesy of @FlaPanthers
With it being so early in the season, it is difficult to project who exactly will come out on top. Kucherov has many accolades to his name and is no stranger to being the best when it comes to scoring. Reinhart is new to the spotlight, and it does not seem like he will step out of it any time soon. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see both these wingers go head-to-head to see who will score the most goals and become the infamous “Florida Man” of the NHL.
Edited by Jenna Mandarano
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