Florida Panthers Suffer Minor Injury Following Explosive Tampa Bay Preseason Game, Coach Confirms

As if losing both Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov wasn’t a big enough blow to the Florida Panthers‘ three-peat dreams. And yet, knowing that fate works in mysterious ways, head coach Paul Maurice was all about accepting and moving on from the setback. “Beyond our control,” the Cats’ boss said about the sordid affair. But it seems like ill-fate isn’t leaving the reigning Stanley Cup champs’ case so easily.

In the first round of last season’s playoffs, the Florida Panthers handed the Tampa Bay Lightning a resounding 4-1 series defeat to eliminate the latter from the race to the Lord Stanley. Today, the Bolts somewhat made amends for that heartbreak by beating Maurice’s boys 5-2 at the Amalie Arena, the Panthers’ home stadium. However, the loss was the least of the South Florida team’s concerns.

Jameson Olive, the Panthers’ director of digital platforms, took to X to share how another injury scare could be looming overhead for the NHL heavyweights from Sunset, Florida. “Lundell (upper body) will get looked at tomorrow, per Maurice,” the social media post notes, and fans would definitely be feeling squeamish. But why does this injury news feel like such a big deal for the Florida loyalists?

Well, for one thing, Anton Lundell, the Finnish hockey star, could have been the replacement for Barkov, with the latter looking at a 7- to 9-month timeframe before lacing up following his knee injury. With a two-way play reminiscent of the Panthers’ captain, Lundell is set to shoulder a bigger responsibility as Florida hopes to become the first team since the 1980s’ New York to win the Stanley Cup for three consecutive years. Obviously, the 24-year-old’s situation has the fans eagerly waiting for an assuring update.