The Canadian Sam Reinhart was the top scorer in Florida during the regular season with 81 points, including 39 goals.
In the end of the first period of the second game against Carolina, the center was sent off the ice following a hip check from the home team's Sebastian Aho.
Reinhart, who has scored four goals and seven assists in the playoffs, grimaced badly and left the ice for the locker room, never to come back to play. It is believed to be an injury to the 29-year-old's lower body, and he will undergo an examination on Friday.
When he got injured, Florida had just gone up to a 3-0 lead. The Swedish star defenseman Gustaf Forsling silenced the home crowd when he showed the way with the leading goal already after 1.17.
The goal was Forsling's first in this year's playoffs, and he now stands at a total of four points in 14 matches.
Nice to score, but the most important is that we win today. We have extremely good depth in the team and everyone can make a difference in each match, says Gustav Forsling to Expressen.
In the end, the reigning champions won with a score of 5-0, and Florida has now won two straight away matches, taking the lead with 2-0 in the best of seven matches. The next two matches will be played in Florida.
