Until now, Sam Reinhart has been a prolific player. He had 319 points in 250 junior games. He scored 23 goals as a rookie for the Sabres. He reached 30 assists last year in his second season.

So yes, he admitted Thursday, this start has been tough on him.

Reinhart's celebrations have been few and far between through Buffalo's opening 15 games. He has just two goals and three assists. That's an 11-goal, 27-point pace, far below the numbers expected for a No. 2 overall draft pick.

"I think the opportunities have been there as of late, so maybe try and capitalize on that a little more," Reinhart said after preparing for Friday's visit by the Florida Panthers. "My focus right now is trying to build off the new line and read off each other. If we can do that as soon as possible, that's going to benefit everybody."

Reinhart is centering for left wing Nick Baptiste and right wing Seth Griffith this week, and they had a decent (though unproductive) debut Tuesday against Washington. Reinhart had four shots, tying the season high he set Oct. 14.

He's failed to record a shot in six games while totaling just 22. His shots figured to drop after a move from right winger to center, but the assists have fallen, too. Not much has been happening offensively when his line is on the ice.