Panthers' Aleksander Barkov goes down with concerning injury at practice ahead of season opener vs Blackhawks
Photo credit: NHL.com
The Florida Panthers' captain Aleksander Barkov went down with a concerning injury at practice ahead of their season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Chicago Blackhawks will face a significant challenge for their first game of the season as they're set to face the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.
However, the game could turn out to be slightly easier than planned for Connor Bedard, Sam Rinzel, Spencer Knight, and the rest of the Blackhawks' young core.
Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov Leaves Practice With Worrying Injury
Indeed, today, team captain Aleksander Barkov was forced to leave the ice due to an injury.
Head coach Paul Maurice shared an update:
"It's beyond our control. We have to learn to win hockey games without good players. If that's the adversity or the test that we face this year, then that's what we're going to do.
I'm not a doctor, so whatever the report is won't affect how we handle the next days.
If he's not in the lineup on Opening Night or if he misses an exhibition game or if he's out long-term, it's just not gonna affect that day.
We've gotta win hockey games. We've gotta prep for it. That's all."
I'm not a doctor, so whatever the report is won't affect how we handle the next days.
If he's not in the lineup on Opening Night or if he misses an exhibition game or if he's out long-term, it's just not gonna affect that day.
We've gotta win hockey games. We've gotta prep for it. That's all."
The Panthers also announced earlier in the offseason that Matthew Tkachuk is expected to remain sidelined until December after dealing with an injury.
With Tkachuk and likely Barkov out of the lineup, it'll be interesting to see how the Panthers perform at the start of the season, including in the first game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
With Tkachuk and likely Barkov out of the lineup, it'll be interesting to see how the Panthers perform at the start of the season, including in the first game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 30-year-old veteran is set to enter his 13th NHL season, the eighth as captain. He already owns several franchise records with 804 career games played, 286 goals, 496 assists, 782 points, 84 power-play goals, and 52 game-winning goals.
He also won three Selke Trophies as the NHL's top defensive forward.
If he were to miss significant time, he would leave a massive hole in the lineup that would be very hard to replace.
Stay tuned for further updates on his health.
Previously on HawksInsider
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