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Ryan Lomberg Out Week-To-Week

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After a miracle win in overtime last night, the Florida Panthers have been hit with some unfortunate news ahead of their Second Round playoff matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. According to David Dwork of Local 10 Miami, forward Ryan Lomberg is labeled as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Head coach Paul Maurice disclosed to reporters Monday that Lomberg was injured in Game 1 against the Boston Bruins and tried to play through it. Today’s news means Lomberg will likely miss significant time after also missing Games 5, 6, and 7 against the Boston Bruins, a blow for a Florida team looking to advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

Lomberg had a solid season in a depth role for the Panthers this season, playing in all 82 games and registering 12 goals, a career-high, and eight assists. Best known for his physicality and energy on the ice, Lomberg was certainly visible in the first half of the Boston series and his ability to stir the pot will be missed.

33-year-old Zac Dalpe has largely replaced Lomberg in Florida’s bottom six, recording his first Stanley Cup Playoffs goal in the process at a pivotal moment in Game 6 against Boston. Rough-and-tumble winger Givani Smith also remains on Florida’s active roster and could be an option.

Injury Notes: Lomberg, Krejčí

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Boston Globe reporter Matt Porter tweeted that Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters that winger Ryan Lomberg is out for the remainder of their first round series. The 28-year-old suffered an upper body injury in the Panthers 6-2 loss to the Boston Bruins in game four and hasn’t played since. Lomberg didn’t miss any of the regular season dressing in all 82 games and registering 12 goals and eight assists but has yet to score in four playoff games.

The undrafted Lomberg proved to be a good depth option this year for Florida but spent much of the first round mixing it up in what could be described as more of a pest role. Lomberg had 14 penalty minutes in the Panthers game two win in Boston and became public enemy number one after choking Trent Frederic.

In other injury notes:

Birthday boy David Krejčí appears to be a step closer to returning to the Bruins lineup. Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic tweeted that the center skated in a non-contact jersey during Bruins practice this morning. While it’s a good step for the now 37-year-old, it doesn’t appear as though he will be dressing for game 6 against Florida. Krejčí travelled with the Bruins to Florida but given his jersey color today all signs would point to him needing more time before a return can be possible. However, Porter has also tweeted out that Krejčí will take the pre-game warmups with the club, and that the Bruins are uncertain of his availability.

Krejčí has missed the last three games of the series after being a late scratch for game 3. While the Bruins have missed him centering their second line, Pavel Zacha has been fine in Krejčí’s spot recording two assists in three games.

Ryan Lomberg To Miss Game 5

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Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron will make his 2023 Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 5, according to Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com. The 37-year-old veteran center missed the first four games of the series with an undisclosed injury that was suffered in the Bruins final game of the regular season. The Bruins have held their own without an important piece of their lineup, as they have a 3-1 lead in the series and will look to eliminate the Florida Panthers and be the first team to advance to the second round.

  • Ryan Lomberg will not play Game 5 for the Florida Panthers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Lomberg has played an effective forechecking style using his speed and toughness to win puck battles, though he has been held pointless in the series thus far. The 28 year old had 12 goals and 20 points for the Panthers while playing every regular season game so it is unusual to see him out of the lineup. No official update was given, but Lomberg was hit hard in the face with a cross check in Game 4.

Panthers Send Lucas Carlsson To Minors

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Recently being recalled by the Florida Panthers ahead of their Game Four loss to the Boston Bruins, defenseman Lucas Carlsson will be sent back down to the AHL. As defenseman Aaron Ekblad finds his way back into the lineup after missing Game Three, the Panthers have announced they have loaned Carlsson to their AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers.

Carlsson played in about half of all the Panthers games last season but has spent the majority of this season playing for the Checkers, as he has only suited up for the Panthers twice in the regular season. In 61 games in Charlotte, Carlsson put together quite an outstanding season in the AHL, scoring 20 goals and tallying 34 assists. During the Checkers opening round matchup in the Calder Cup playoffs, Carlsson scored four points in three games.

Likely being included on the Game Four roster due to injuries, the team has decided his talent is better spent helping Charlotte on their quest for the Calder Cup. In their first-round matchup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Charlotte was able to move past them in three games. As they now look towards the Atlantic Division Semifinals, Charlotte will take on the second-place Hershey Bears.

Ekblad, Duclair Return For The Panthers

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Josh Gold-Smith of The Score reports that reinforcements are coming in for the Florida Panthers, as both Aaron Ekblad and Anthony Duclair will be back for Game Five. This will be an elimination game for the Panthers, as the Boston Bruins have taken a three-to-one lead in the series.

Ekblad finally makes his return after leaving Game Three with an undisclosed injury. Before the start of Game Four, Ekblad was listed as a game-time decision and wound up not being able to play, as Casey Fitzgerald took his place in the lineup. Aside from Game Three, Ekblad averaged a little over 24 minutes a night in the first two games of the series but has been unable to find the scoresheet yet for the Panthers.

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Matthew Tkachuk Avoids Suspension, Fined For Cross-Checking

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Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk has been fined the maximum allowable amount of $5,000 under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for a cross-checking incident involving Boston Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at the end of the first period during yesterday’s Game 4 when Tkachuk was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking Hathaway. Given the strength of the check and its placement in a sensitive area on the side of Hathaway’s torso, some felt the play warranted a suspension. Hathaway returned to the game but stayed on the ice in pain after the incident.

It wasn’t the only penalty Tkachuk racked up in what was a physical game. He added another minor penalty for slashing midway through the third period before he was given a 10-minute misconduct for his actions in a scrum with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

It’s a lucky break for the Panthers, who need everything on their side in Game 5 to stave off another early playoff exit. They’ll need Tkachuk’s services to have any hope of doing so, as his physicality and two-way dominance almost single-handedly dragged Florida to a playoff spot this season.

He leads Florida in scoring during the series, registering two goals and three assists in four games.

Latest On Panthers Goaltending

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  • The Florida Panthers could be making a swap in their crease, head coach Paul Maurice told the media (including the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter) today. Maurice said he considers most of his roster to be a game-time decision, including his netminders, meaning we could see the team give two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky the start over Lyon, whose red-hot play revived the Panthers’ playoff hopes in the regular season. Lyon’s regular-season brilliance hasn’t yet fully translated to the playoffs, and he has a .902 save percentage and 3.26 goals-against-average through three games.

Aaron Ekblad Takes Part In Gameday Skate, Questionable To Play Sunday

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Speaking with reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald after Friday’s victory, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that center David Krejci is 50/50 to play in Sunday’s fourth contest against the Panthers.  Krejci is dealing with an upper-body injury, meaning that Boston played last night without their top two middlemen with Patrice Bergeron not expected to make his series debut until Wednesday.  Krejci was an important secondary scorer for Boston this season with 16 goals and 40 assists, a solid return to the NHL after spending last season in Czechia and his return would certainly help a thinned-out center group.  However, he did not take part in today’s morning skate with a final answer on his availability not expected until tomorrow; he’s officially listed as questionable.

  • After leaving last night’s game early with an injury, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad took part in an optional skate this morning, relays George Richards of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Notably, he wasn’t wearing a no-contact sweater which suggests that he’ll be good to go on Sunday although he’s officially listed as a game-time decision.  Ekblad had a down year by his standards but still picked up 38 points in 71 games while logging over 23 minutes a night and is a key part of Florida’s back end.

Panthers Recall Lucas Carlsson

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After Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad left last night’s loss to Boston early with an injury, they’ve opted to bring up some extra depth on the back end.  Florida has recalled blueliner Lucas Carlsson from Charlotte of the AHL, per the AHL’s transactions log.

The 25-year-old spent the majority of this season with the Checkers and was one of the top-scoring defensemen in the minors, collecting 20 goals and 34 assists in 61 games.  That helped earn him a spot on the second All-Star team.  For context, his career goal total in the AHL heading into this season was 18 in 143 contests.  He’s off to a nice start to the playoffs as well, picking up four points in three games in their first-round victory over Lehigh Valley.

However, despite how well Carlsson performed in the minors, it didn’t translate into much NHL time as he played just twice for Florida this season.  By comparison, he suited up in 40 contests for the Panthers last year, a career-high.

Even if Ekblad isn’t able to play, there’s a chance that Carlsson won’t be the one taking his place in the lineup.  The Panthers also have Casey Fitzgerald and rookie Michael Benning on the active roster and one of them could get the nod as well.  But if they’re looking for someone to play on the power play especially, Carlsson could be an interesting addition to the lineup with how things have gone for him this season in Charlotte.

Sam Bennett Will Return For Game 2

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Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett will return to the lineup for Game 2 against the Boston Bruins, head coach Paul Maurice confirmed today. Bennett missed the final 12 games of the regular season and 13 overall with a groin injury, his second multi-game absence of the season.

Bennett is a crucial secondary scoring option for a Panthers team that needs all the help they can get to unseat the President’s Trophy winners in the first round. The 26-year-old has continued to progress since joining the Panthers, recording 40 points in 63 games this season while serving as their second-line center. That’s a role he’ll resume tonight, per the Panthers’ line rushes at practice this morning, skating between Eetu Luostarinen and Matthew Tkachuk. With Boston still without Patrice Bergeron, Bennett’s return is a major boost for Florida, who needs to double down on a strong Game 1 effort to tie the series.

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