Barkov was knocked out of Game 2 after taking an elbow to the head from Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl
Barkov was knocked out of Game 2 after taking an elbow to the head from Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl
The vibes were immaculate at the Florida Panthers practice facility on Wednesday morning.
Florida held one last practice before flying up to Alberta for Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, with the Cats holding a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.
A big reason for the strong positive feel was the presence of Panthers captain Sasha Barkov, who was a full practice participant.
“It was great to see him out there,” said Panthers forward Kyle Okposo. “He’s a huge part of our team.”
Barkov skated on the top line, between Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart, while wearing his usual white jersey.
That’s notable simply because it indicates there are no physical limitations on Barkov. If there were, he’d be wearing a gold, non-contact jersey.
“He felt better today, he got through the skate today as far as I know,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “He’ll get checked out after.”
Barkov’s status was unknown after he took an elbow to the face from Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl during the third period of Game 2 on Monday night.
Maurice was quite obviously upset after the win, but he was in a much better mood when he spoke to the media on Tuesday, relaying that Barkov was in much better shape when he arrived to work that day.
With Barkov continuing on that path two days after the hit, appearing no worse for the wear, it allows his teammates to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Two wins away from a Stanley Cup is no time to lose your captain.
“Obviously it’s a good thing he’s feeling better,” said Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen. “I’m just looking forward to seeing him play the next game.”
Indeed, it appears Barkov is trending toward a ‘good to go’ designation for Game 3 in Edmonton as he and the Panthers will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
“We’ll get him on the plane, get him off the plane, get him on the ice and we’ll see where he’s at tomorrow,” said Maurice. “He looked good today.”
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