Panthers' Aleksander Barkov week-to-week with knee injury; no surgery needed
The Florida Panthers have avoided a potential catastrophe regarding the long-term health of center and captain Aleksander Barkov.
As noted by the NHL's website and The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Barkov went down with what initially appeared to be a potentially serious injury in the second period of Tuesday's 6-1 win over the New York Islanders following a knee-on-knee collision with New York defenseman Scott Mayfield:
However, Panthers coach Andrew Brunette delivered good news Wednesday and said Barkov is week-to-week with a knee issue that will not require surgery to repair.
"It's the best-case scenario," Brunette explained about the setback. "Could have been worse. We'll deal with it as we go."
Brunette added he feels the collision between the players was "very unfortunate" but also that Mayfield "was just trying to finish his check." As is typically the case, Brunette didn't name Barkov's exact "lower-body injury" when speaking with reporters.
It's a brutal blow for the hottest team of the opening month of the 2021-22 NHL season. Per ESPN stats, Barkov leads Florida with nine goals and 17 points tallied across 15 games.
The 11-2-3 Panthers next host the 7-4-3 New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
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