- Brad Marchand was helped off the ice late in the second period against the Kings
- It was only his second game back after offseason surgery
- Read below for the injury video and what it means for a banged-up Panthers lineup
The Panthers can’t catch a break.
Brad Marchand had to be helped off the ice with an apparent lower-body injury late in the second period of Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. He couldn’t put any weight on his left leg on the way to the room.
The play happened with 53 seconds left in the period. Marchand was driving the net when Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke caught him with a high stick, and he twisted awkwardly into the right post. Clarke got a double minor on the play.
Watch the injury video:
Marchand stayed down holding his left knee for a few minutes while a trainer checked on him. Brady Tkachuk and Niko Mikkola eventually got him up and helped him off. He finished the night with two shots and one hit in 9:36 of ice time.
It’s a brutal break for a player who just got healthy. Marchand missed Florida’s first two games recovering from offseason surgery, then came back weeks ahead of schedule on Sunday in Anaheim. He tied that game with 1:50 left in the third before the Ducks won 3-2 in overtime.
Here’s that goal from his season debut:
Florida was already short its captain. Earlier Tuesday, Paul Maurice said Aleksander Barkov will miss six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury of his own. Losing Marchand on top of that would leave a big hole in the top six.
Even without him, the Panthers held on. Seth Jones scored early in the second, Matthew Tkachuk put Florida ahead midway through the third, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 of 20 shots in a 2-1 victory.
No timeline has been announced for Marchand yet. The 38-year-old had 27 goals and 54 points in 52 games last season before a lower-body injury ended his year in early March, so the Panthers know how much they miss when he’s out of the lineup.
