FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers are waiting to see if captain Aleksander Barkov will be able to play Saturday when their playoff series resumes against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Barkov missed the final 10:09 of the Panthers’ win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series at Tampa Bay on Thursday night after taking a hit from the Lightning’s Brandon Hagel.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he has “two or three” different lineups in mind for Game 3, which is on the Panthers’ ice in Sunrise. Florida leads the series 2-0.
“He hasn’t been ruled out yet and he hasn’t been cleared,” Maurice said when asked if he had an update on Barkov’s status.
Barkov remained down on one knee briefly after the hit, then skated off and went to the Panthers’ locker room. He did not return. Hagel drew a 5-minute major for interference on the play and was scheduled for a call Friday afternoon with the NHL’s department of player safety, which could impose further sanctions.
Barkov has played in all 73 of Florida’s playoff games since he joined the club. He is Florida’s all-time leader in playoff appearances, assists (43), points (62) and is tied for third in goals (19).
“He’s a strong guy,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “It’s the playoffs. Those things are going to happen. He’ll bounce back and we’ll bounce back as a team.”
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