If the Florida Panthers have any hopes of reaching the playoffs, the first thing they have to do is win out. Being four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers, the Panthers have to win their final two games of the season and then get some help on top of that. However, the team’s chances of accomplishing this feat took a hit Saturday when the team announced that top center Aleksander Barkov will miss both games this weekend with a shoulder injury, according to Matthew DeFranks of the SunSentinel. He sustained the injury during the third period against the Bruins on Thursday.
Barkov has been a key piece to the Panthers improbable late run this season as the 22-year-old center has had a breakout year for Florida with 27 goals and 78 points. His absence won’t help the team’s chances of a much needed back-to-back wins over Buffalo tonight at home, followed with a challenging road trip to the Boston Bruins tomorrow. Barkov was just starting to put some points up as well for the team after a minor slump as he scored a goal in Thursday’s win over Boston and had two assists on Monday in their win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Del Franks added that Barkov could return for a potential playoff series if the team is able to clinch a playoff berth.