Panthers players, Paul Maurice react to Leon Draisaitl elbow to head of Sasha Barkov
Potential Barkov injury would throw major curveball into Stanley Cup Final
The Florida Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
Vibes should have been immaculate after the game.
Alas, there was a dark cloud hovering over the Panthers following Game 2 despite the 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
That’s because midway through the third period, with Florida leading the game by a goal, Edmonton star Leon Draisaitl put a controversial hit on Panthers captain Sasha Barkov.
Draisaitl came in with speed on Barkov, who just corralled the puck on his stick along the boards in Florida’s end of the ice.
As Barkov turned back toward the blue line, Draisaitl bent his knees, braced himself and lifted his body off the ice, sending an elbow directly to the side of Barkov’s face.
His skates were far from the ice, and the principal point of contact was Barkov’s head.
Barkov immediately went to the ice clutching his head, and after staying down for a few minutes, was helped off the ice and to the Panthers locker room.
He did not return to the game, and while Florida scored a pair of goal afterward to seal the victory, the bigger concern now is the status of their captain as the series shifts to Edmonton.
“You never want to see your captain go down, but I thought everyone did a great job, focused in and got the job done,” said Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues, who scored a pair of third period goals.
The Panthers have a couple of days off before they take the ice in Edmonton for Game 3.
Whether or not Barkov can play will certainly be a topic of discussion over the next couple days.
His defensive play has been a big reason why Florida has held the big stars of the Oilers, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Draisaitl, among others.
“He's our captain, we never want to miss him, but we hope he’s going to be okay,” said Panthers forward Anton Lundell. “We love him and hope he comes back even stronger.”
Speaking to the media after the game, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice did not have an update on Barkov’s status.
The usually jovial and engaging bench boss was anything but during his press availability.
He fielded several questions about the hit, but did not say much about it.
“The league looks at everything, they look at every hit,” he said.
Maurice was asked if the game had been close down the stretch, would he have considered bringing Barkov back into the game.
“There was 9:28 on the clock, I believe, in a 2-1 game. I’m not holding him (out),” Maurice said.
He was also asked for his feelings on the hit.
“This isn’t the Oprah Winfrey show. My feelings don’t matter,” Maurice said.
That’s more than some of the Panthers players would say about it.
“I have no response or comment on that,” Matthew Tkachuk quickly said after the game.
“There’s no comment on the situation,” added Panthers forward Vladimir Tarasenko.
Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch sure didn’t seem to make much of it.
“I think he went in there to make a hit, his hands got up a little high,” said Knoblauch. “He’s trying to knock him off the puck, and that led to the penalty.”
The Panthers are not practicing on Tuesday.
Maurice will address the media from Florida’s practice facility, and he’ll surely be asked about Barkov.
Game 3 from Edmonton is Thursday night.
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