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Niko Mikkola's Fate Confirmed by Paul Maurice After Scary Injury in Game 3

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 25, 2025 12:19 PM ET

The Florida Panthers are one win away from the Stanley Cup Finals, and ahead of Game 4 at home, they got some great news on Niko Mikkola.

Through three games of the Eastern Conference Finals thus far, the Florida Panthers are up 3-0 by outscoring the Carolina Hurricanes 16-4, and at this point in time, it appears as though the 'Canes won't put up any sort of a fight.

One thing that could slow down Florida however is their injury situation, with many fearing that Niko Mikkola could miss some time after this scary collision with the boards in a 6-2 Game 3 victory.

Thankfully however, Head Coach Paul Maurice has now given an update, revealing that Mikkola will play in Game 4 on Monday night on home ice with the Panthers having a chance to finish off the 4-0 sweep.

This is great news for the Panthers, as Mikkola has emerged as one of the best defenseman in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, becoming crucial to this teams success as they show off the immense depth that they've got.

In 15 games played thus far in the post-season, Mikkola has tallied 3 goals and 5 points to go along with an impressive +6 differential, showing that with him on the ice, this Panthers team is near unstoppable.

Ultimately, this team appears right now to be on track for back-to-back Stanley Cup crowns, and while the Hurricanes can't be completely ruled out, if the Panthers remain at full health moving forward, it would take an incredible effort from Dallas or Edmonton to slow them down, especially with players like Mikkola taking their game to a new level in 2025.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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