It started with a long stretch pass from star defenseman Aaron Ekblad, and Reinhart snagged the puck out of the air near the edge of the offensive zone. The decisive goal in Game 3 was a product of the chess-style thinking this line is all about. Whether it’s coincidence or correlation, the Panthers have won six in a row since putting this line back together and are now one win away from the Eastern Conference finals with a chance to sweep the Maple Leafs on Wednesday in Game 4 at FLA Live Arena. On defense, those three forwards have combined for 37 hits and 14 takeaways. On offense, Florida has outscored opponents 4-1 when Reinhart, Lundell and Luostarinen have been on the ice together. It happens on both ends of the ice and has made this third line one of the Panthers’ best since Maurice reunited them for Game 5 of their first-round series with the Bruins. Panthers rally twice, win on Sam Reinhart overtime goal to go up 3-0 on Maple Leafs “He does that a lot in the small areas of the game that you almost have to watch on video,” coach Paul Maurice said Sunday. This is Reinhart’s line - at 27, the forward is three years older than Luostarinen and six older than Lundell - and he made about half a dozen thoughtful moves in a matter of seconds to score the game-winning goal and give Florida a commanding 3-0 lead in this second-round series. It’s also how the Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, in overtime Sunday in Sunrise. It makes their forecheck a special kind of nuisance and their passing plays a thing of beauty. Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen always “want to be one step ahead,” Lundell said Sunday, and they want to do it on both ends of the ice. The Florida Panthers’ third line succeeds by treating hockey like a chess match.
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