An unfortunate injury: the world-class Florida Panthers player is currently coping with a horrible ailment.
As the Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice watched his team’s captain be taken off the ice following an illegal high hit the day before, he had very little information about Aleksander Barkov’s condition going into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers. “He wasn’t worse when he came in today. Maurice expressed his gratitude by saying, “That’s a really good thing. If he keeps improving, we should be in good shape.”
With 9:28 remaining in regulation time of Florida’s 4-1 victory against Edmonton on Monday, the injury occurred, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final. In the Panthers’ defensive zone, star forward Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers left his feet and struck Barkov in the jaw with his right forearm.
Trainers had to assist Barkov after he fell to the ice, despite the fact that he was the NHL’s best two-way forward this season and had won his second Selke Trophy. Barkov did not rejoin the match, and according to Maurice, it was not a concern because Florida was only leading 2-1 at the time of the injury. This indicates that Barkov was either too hurt to play again or was held out while following concussion protocol. “There is 9:28 remaining in a 2-1 match.
Maurice said after the game, “I’m not holding him” if he can play, not really providing any more context at the time.
A day later, Maurice stated that Barkov’s true evaluation will take place on Wednesday prior to the team’s departure for Edmonton. Maurice remarked on Tuesday, “I don’t know that I can do all the hypotheticals.” “He departed. Today, we looked at a few items that needed to be examined. Nothing eerily menacing was present. He felt better today after passing that. He feels terrific, but you still have to make sure he is powerful and efficient for another twenty-four hours. He would be a player for us if he keeps improving.
In an interview with reporters following the game, Draisaitl described the move as “just a hit.” Draisaitl stated, “I don’t think there’s anything dirty about it.” “Perhaps I gave him a slight high.” But definitely not with the intention of hurting someone or anything similar. Nevertheless, Evan Rodrigues scored Florida’s second goal of the game on the subsequent power play after Draisaitl was issued a two-minute minor penalty for roughing. Florida now led 3-1. Aaron Ekblad scored an empty-net goal to conclude the scoring.
