Even Rodrigues broke his finger, potentially ending his season prematurely as Paul Maurice expressed frustration after another key player joined the growing injury list.
The Florida Panthers have lost another key player to injury.
During the second shift of the game, Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues suffered an injury to his right hand.
He left the game after a 49 second shift and did not return.
The Panthers officially ruled him out of the game during the early stages of the second period, saying he had an upper-body injury.
After the game, which Florida lost 3-2 on a last-second goal, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice gave his latest injury update, and like many that came before it, this was another that did not have a positive outlook.
“Yeah, he broke his finger,” Maurice said. “We’ll find out Monday whether he needs surgery on it or not.”
Maurice said the recovery time would be around four-to-six weeks, depending on whether Rodrigues needs surgery.
Either way, with Florida’s season over in less than three weeks, that would mean we’ve seen the last of Rodrigues.
He joins an injured list that includes Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola, Uvis Balinskis, Jonah Gadjovich, Cole Schwindt and Mackie Samoskevich.
“It’s awesome,” a frustrated Maurice said sarcastically. “The most dangerous job in sports right now is to play for the Florida Panthers.”
Florida has just 11 games remaining on its schedule, four of which will be on home ice.
The Panthers kick off a quick back-to-back in New York this weekend with a matchup on Long Island on Saturday afternoon followed by a visit to Madison Square Garden for a nice Sunday matinee.
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
Photo caption: Dec 4, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Evan Rodrigues (17) moves the puck against the Nashville Predators during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)