Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov left Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period.

He suffered a lower-body injury after taking a hit from Carolina forward Jack Drury.

Barkov exited the game with 7:04 remaining in the first and did not return. 

He would later be listed as questionable to return.

After the game, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice gave a quick "no" when initially asked had any updates on Barkov's status. 

He then provided a tongue-in-cheek excuse for Barkov's absence. 

"He's at a bar mitzva," Maurice said with a smile. "His neighbor had one. Yeah, that's what we'll go with.

"He didn't want to disappoint the kids."

For Florida's sake, hopefully Maurice's lighthearted comments are an indication that Barkov's injury is not serious. 

We'll have to wait and see if there are any updates on Tuesday.