Panthers beat Stars, but expect Aaron Ekblad to miss ‘extensive time’ with leg injury
Jonathan Huberdeau knew from the screams how bad Aaron Ekblad’s leg injury must have been.
The defenseman stayed down on the ice for more than five minutes after he planted his right leg awkwardly after taking a hit midway through the second period. The Florida Panthers’ training staff came on to the ice, wrapped his left knee in a cast, then wheeled him out on a stretcher and back into the Panthers’ dressing room at the American Airlines Center.
Florida was on its way to a 4-1 win against the Dallas Stars, but it was impossible for the Panthers to shake away the emotion and long-term worry about its top defenseman. When the second period ended, a procession of teammates headed into the training room to check in with Ekblad.
“It got pretty emotional,” Huberdeau said.
Ekblad knew something was wrong as soon as he landed. Star defenseman Esa Lindell checked Ekblad up against the boards and he grabbed at his left knee as he crumpled to the ice. He pounded on the ice and summoned for help. At least half a dozen of his teammates surrounded him when he finally left the ice on a stretcher. After more than five minutes of silence, the crowd of 4,026 in Dallas rose for a standing ovation.
Ekblad will undergo an MRI on his left leg Monday, but Florida (22-9-4) expects it will only confirm its fears.
The Panthers’ injury list continues to grow and the latest addition seems to be the most serious.
“We think he’s going to be out for an extensive time,” coach Joel Quenneville said.
Ekblad left with 11:02 left in the second period and Florida struggled to regroup without the 25-year-old. The Panthers jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period by piling up 14 shots, then managed just four in the second, although three came after Ekblad’s injury. The Stars (11-12-9) ultimately outshot Florida, 34-23, and the Panthers had just seven shots after the injury.
The Panthers, who were already playing without star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Patric Hornqvist, were left without three of their top five scorers and now might be missing their best defenseman for an extended period of time.
“It’s tough to see that,” defenseman Keith Yandle said. “He’s been a huge part of the success that we’ve had.”
Ekblad’s injury came just a day after he played the hero in Florida’s overtime win against the Stars on Saturday. Ekblad scored an apparent game-winning goal in the final minute of overtime, only to have it wiped out because he was offsides. Less than a minute later, he actually scored with 9.3 seconds left to snap the Panthers’ season-long three-game losing streak.
On Sunday, Ekblad assisted Huberdeau on a goal in the first period for his 22nd point of the season — fifth most on the team. With 11 goals and 11 assists, Ekblad thrust himself into contention for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman.
Now Florida will have to get by without him.
“We know it’s going to be bad, probably,” Huberdeau said.
The All-Star left wing’s best performance in weeks, however, helped the Panthers survive.
Huberdeau scored twice in the first period to bust out of a weeks-long slump and push the Panthers out to a 3-1 lead, then he assisted on right wing Owen Tippett’s empty-net goal with 1:05 left to clinch the win.
Huberdeau, who hadn’t posted a multi-point game since March 15 and hadn’t scored a goal since March 18, scored once at even strength to tie the game at 1-1, then on a power play with 6:23 left in the period to put Florida ahead 3-1.
The forward had just one goal in the Panthers’ previous 11 games before he scored twice in the first 14 minutes.
It was enough for Chris Driedger. The goaltender made 33 saves on 34 shots to seal a second straight win and move Florida back within one point of the second-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Central Division.
“In the third period, we had to come out and play well,” Huberdeau said, “and we got the win for him tonight.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2021 at 7:47 PM.
