Injuries are going to pop up during the playoffs, and Florida's players were no exception to that rule

The Florida Panthers just had the most successful postseason run in franchise history.

Nobody expected the Panthers to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the second time ever.

This wasn’t their year. That was the consensus as the season pressed on.

Midway through the schedule, things felt like they were already slipping away.

A big part of why Florida just making the playoffs was an accomplishment was due to the obstacles the team had to overcome throughout the season.

Injuries to key players hampered the team from start to finish.

When the season officially ended for the Panthers on Tuesday night in Vegas, it would be injuries that played a major role.

“I’ve never seen guys play with what these guys were playing with, the sheer number of them,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said following Game 5.

Matthew Tkachuk, Florida’s most clutch performer during the postseason, suffered a broken sternum during Game 3 against Vegas.

Not only did he play though the pain, but he scored the game-tying goal in the final minutes to force overtime.

“The next day after the full game that he played off it…he didn't dress himself for the game,” Maurice said. “Somebody helped him get his gear on, somebody tied his skates, somebody put his sweater on for him. But the next day when he came in, he was in significant pain, so it wasn’t really a question whether they be able to play or not. The idea would be if we were to let it calm, we might be able to get him to Game 7.”

“He’ll heal fine from it,” Maurice added.

Aaron Ekblad broke his foot during the first round against Boston.

Maurice also said Ekblad was playing through a torn oblique muscle and that during the playoffs, he dislocated his shoulder twice and at least once had to pass a concussion test.

“What we went through was miraculous,” said Ekblad. “The way we played collectively as a team was pretty incredible. There's a lot to look at positively and there's a lot to learn from the series.”

There was a point during the second round against Toronto that Maurice said he came into the room and noticed Sam Bennett.

The gritty center was struggling to take off his shoulder pads because he was in so much pain.

“Sam had hurt himself so bad, and he was on his second injury that point, we walked into the room after Game 4 that we lost, and he could barely take his shoulder pads off,” Maurice said. “I’m standing in the room going, ‘Should I help him? How would he feel about that if I walked over?’ But he rebounded and continued to play.”

Defenseman Radko Gudas was dealing with a high ankle sprain that Maurice said should have kept him out for more than a month. 

“That’s a six week (injury),” Maurice said. “He took a period off.”

Maurice did not reveal the ailment that kept forward Eetu Luostarinen from playing in the Final. He was hurt after blocking a shot during Game 4 of the conference final.

Overall, Maurice said several players suffered bone fractures of some kind during the playoffs.

“We had four broken bones, we’ve got three shoulders that are going to have to get taken care of, we’ve got oblique tears,” he said. “It’s not an excuse. We don’t need one. These guys earned the right, they gave everything they had.”

While there is obviously a ton of skill that must go into being a championship team, there is also the intangible element of good fortune.

Sure, bounces need to go your way, but avoiding injuries is as important to a long postseason run as it is difficult to manage because so much is out of a player’s control.

“You need luck for sure,” Maurice said. “We didn’t need necessarily need puck luck. I think if you get to the Final, both teams have had their fair shares of bounces, but we ran out of the health luck, and we need it if we’re going to swing above 110-point teams. You need your bodies.”

For some Panthers, there will be a long road to recovery.

There are players may not be ready for the start of next season, which will be a lot sooner than most are used to due to Florida extending their season a couple extra months.

We’ll likely learn more about those situations in the coming days.

Just hearing about what Florida’s players had to endure while making their remarkable run to the Stanley Cup Final is amazing in and of itself.

Reaching the Final is amazing. Doing it ‘on one leg’ is another thing entirely.

It says a lot of about how far this team has come, and what they are confident they can achieve moving forward.

“There’s no stopping now, there’s no stopping here,” said Ekblad. “It’s a bump in the road, and it stings now. We’ll find a way to come back next year and be stronger because of it. How could you not, going through what we went through this year?

“We’ll find a way to get ourselves back in this position. There’s no doubt in my mind.”