HIGHLIGHTS
- Aleksander Barkov left Game 2 vs Lightning early after a nasty Brandon Hagel hit
- The Florida Panthers stayed on the ice briefly before skating to the bench
- Keep reading to see the video
The Florida Panthers have a 2-0 lead in their first-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they could be without a key player moving forward.
Captain Alesksander Barkov was rocked by a dirty Brandon Hagel hit midway through the third period, which forced him to leave the game early. The Finnish star never returned. Hagel received a five-minute penalty for interference but not a game misconduct, which caused controversy.
Here’s a look at the play:
As you can see, Hagel was nowhere near the puck. He lined up Barkov, who was clearly shaken up. Barkov was on the ice in pain before skating to the bench.
Losing Barkov for any period of time would certainly hurt the Panthers in their pursuit of a Stanley Cup repeat. The 29-year-old had 20 goals and 51 assists during the regular season and was already lighting it up in this series, tallying two helpers in Game 1 and another assist in Thursday’s 2-0 shutout vs Tampa.
Nate Schmidt opened the scoring for Florida before Sam Bennett added an empty-netter at the end of the third. The Panthers are in clear control heading back home for Games 3 and 4, where they will be looking to put away their in-state foes.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has yet to receive an update on Barkov’s status, but a concussion may have been sustained.
Bennett spoke on the Barkov injury and made it clear that the Cats hate the Bolts more and more with every passing game, especially after Hagel’s nasty play:
Florida is next in action on Saturday, where Aaron Ekblad is set to return from a 20-game suspension. Hopefully, Barkov is in the lineup as well. Stay tuned for more updates on the Panthers’ captain.
