Panthers injury update: Sam Bennett goes down, but Anthony Duclair ‘very close’ to return
Health, Aaron Ekblad said, is perhaps the biggest reason the Florida Panthers have been able to fight back into postseason contention since the start of the new year, but played one of their biggest games of the season Thursday without one of their most important players.
Sam Bennett, who almost always plays next to Matthew Tkachuk and centers the Panthers’ second line, was out after going down with an unspecified injury in the second period of Florida’s blowout loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
Although the Panthers don’t expect the injury will be a long-term concern for Bennett, the timing is still tough, given the importance of Florida’s Thursday meeting with the Washington Capitals — a showdown Radko Gudas on Tuesday called “the biggest game of the season.”
“I don’t think this is long,” coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s something he’s dealt with in the past and has a good understanding of where it’s at, and we’re not particularly concerned it’s long term.”
Colin White replaced Bennett in the lineup at Capital One Arena in Washington, and fellow forward Eetu Luostarinen took Bennett’s spot as the second-line center.
Bennett, 26, has 35 points in 56 games this season, and his 21 assists are tied for a career high. Luostarinen, 24, entered Thursday with 27 points — also a career high — in 57 games.
Luostarinen has played at least nine games on each of the Panthers’ top three lines so far this year, and lined up at both center and left wing.
“For him to be able to step into the roles he has this year and especially in the last couple weeks has been huge for us kind of turning this around,” forward Sam Reinhart said.
Of course, the Capitals have their own lineup issues: Superstar left wing Alex Ovechkin is still away from the team due to the death of his father.
Florida and Washington were separated by two points in the standings for eighth place in the Eastern Conference going into Thursday, although the Panthers have played one more game than the Capitals. They’re two of six teams separated by five points and fighting for two wild cards.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Maurice said. “The league’s got to be happy about that because there are so many important games. In a February where things sometimes get a little bit quiet, there’s a lot of big games on our side, so people will be watching.”
Duclair could return next week
Anthony Duclair finally shed his yellow noncontact jersey for Florida’s morning skate Monday ahead of a game against the Minnesota Wild and the right wing could return as soon as next week.
Duclair, 27, has yet to play this season after injuring his left Achilles tendon in the offseason. He skated with the team in a noncontact capacity for about a month before becoming a full participant earlier this week.
The winger is unlikely to play on this road trip — the Panthers wrap up their four-game swing Saturday against the Nashville Predators — but is targeting a return once Florida returns to Sunrise, Maurice said.
The Panthers will play back-to-back games at home next week, then play one road game against the Tampa Bay Lightning before playing seven more in a row at FLA Live Arena.
“It’s a mental step more than anything,” Maurice said of Duclair participating in a full-contact skate. “He’s been pushing it for an awfully long time. This is a long-healing injury. … He’s been battling. He’s been doing a lot of that lately. This is good for him just to get out on the ice.
“I don’t see him playing on this road trip, but he’ll be very close when we get off it.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 1:50 PM.
