Elliotte Friedman Provides Crucial Update on Florida Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov
The insider Elliotte Friedman provided a crucial injury update on the Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.
The Panthers faced the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in an Atlantic Division showdown. The reigning Stanley Cup champions lost the game 3-1 after a solid performance from Sens' goalie Linus Ullmark, who stopped 30 of the 31 shots that were fired at him.
Unfortunately, the Panthers lost much more than the two points. In the final minutes of the confrontation, Florida had removed their goaltender for a sixth skater to try to tie the game. In a desperate effort to protect his empty net, the Panthers' captain Aleksander Barkov skated at full speed back to his zone and ended up in a violent collision with the boards. He fell legs-first after a race to the puck against Tim Stutzle.
Watch the incident here:
This morning, Elliotte Friedman shared an update on the captain's health. In a post on X, he stated that scans determined Barkov doesn't have a fracture, avoiding the worst scenario.
Here's what he posted:
This is good news for the Panthers. Barkov is still expected to miss a few weeks, but a fracture would've kept him off the action for much longer. Considering his impact on and off the ice, it would've been a hard blow for the team.
Last season, the 29-year-old Finnish forward scored 80 points in 73 regular season games and added 22 points in 24 playoff games in his first Stanley Cup run. He also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the best defensive forward in 2024.
The Panthers will need to rely on their depth to cover for him while he recovers. Fans will get to see what they do to replace him soon, as the team will be back on the ice tonight to face the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center.
