When Aleksander Barkov collided with Scott Mayfield last night, leaving him sprawled out on the ice with obvious pain on his face, Florida Panthers fans held their breath. The captain was taken from the game and many feared the worst, but it appears as though there is some good news.
Barkov will not require surgery, according to head coach Andrew Brunette, who spoke with reporters including George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. He will still be out on a week-to-week basis, but Brunette called it a “best-case scenario.”
It’s certainly not ideal to have your captain on the shelf for weeks, but the fact that Barkov won’t go under the knife is a huge win for the Panthers. The team looks like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender through the early part of the season and showed their explosive offense off again last night, potting six goals against the usually-stingy Islanders.
In fact, the Panthers lead the entire league in goals for with 62 through their first 16 games and still have a two-point lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division.
They also have several players with experience at the center ice position, including Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, and Joe Thornton, the latter of which was skating in the third-line pivot spot at practice today as he recovers from his own injury.
Great news , cheap shots have a way of coming back at you .
Great news ! Cheap shots have a way of coming back at you.
I for one are so sick of seeing players hurt from cheap shots. Too many careers have been shortened from this crap. Ban these players. Just not right
Isn’t Mayfield the guy who broke Kucherov’s ribs with a cross check? Maybe Bettman should ACT like he cares about player safety and hand out some real discipline. If not, then just let the players deal with Mayfield and the guys like him.