Florida Panthers without Aleksander Barkov as they face undefeated Carolina Hurricanes
The Florida Panthers will be without their top player when they play arguably their biggest game early in this 2021-2022 season.
Captain and star center Aleksander Barkov will not play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday in a matchup between the NHL’s two remaining teams without a loss in regulation. He has a lower-body injury, per the team, and was not on the ice for pre-game warmups.
Barkov, who signed an eight-year contract extension prior to the season, leads the Panthers with seven goals and is tied for the team lead with 12 points. His two-goal effort in Thursday’s overtime win against the Washington Capitals gave him 188 for his NHL career, tied with Olli Jokinen for the most in Panthers franchise history.
With Barkov out, Eetu Luostarinen moves up to the top line to center Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair.
Ryan Lomberg enters as the Panthers’ 12th forward, playing left wing on the fourth line with Mason Marchment at center and Patrick Hornqvist at right wing.
Another change in the Panthers’ forward lines: Rookie center Anton Lundell is playing on the second line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Owen Tippett, while Sam Reinhart centers Frank Vatrano and Maxim Mamin.
Spencer Knight is in net with Sergei Bobrovsky day-to-day with an upper body injury. Defenseman Radko Gudas returns to the lineup after sitting on Thursday with an undisclosed injury.
This story may be updated.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 5:46 PM.
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