Barkov was hurt last Friday after taking a knee-on-knee hit during Florida's win in Anaheim

Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov will miss his second straight game on Wednesday.

Fortunately for Barkov and the Cats, it sounds like his absence may not be extended much longer.

Barkov left Florida’s win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday after taking a knee-on-knee hit from defenseman Jackson LaCombe.

The hit did not look good, but Barkov avoided any major damage and has been listed as day-to-day.

After the Panthers returned from the road, head coach Paul Maurice said the team “got lucky” with Barkov’s injury because of how dangerous of a hit it was.

Maurice also divulged that Barkov had suffered a soft tissue injury and that there was no bone bruise. Once the swelling went down, they would start testing his strength and range of motion.

That was on Sunday.

In the days since, Barkov has resumed skating and is diligently working his way back to full strength.

“He’s getting better,” Maurice said Wednesday morning. “There is a possibility he plays against Winnipeg (on Friday).”

It makes sense that Florida is taking its time with Barkov.

The Panthers have gotten off to a strong start, earning a 12-5-1 record despite playing almost the entire season without key players Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour and Sam Bennett.

That being the case, there is no reason to rush Barkov, one of the best two-way players in the NHL, back into the lineup a second sooner than he’s ready.

“This will all be medical,” Maurice said. “If he’s at a percentage that we don’t like, then we’re just going to wait until he’s right to go back in. If he goes back in, he’ll go back in at 100 (percent).”

Prior to the injury, Barkov was having an extremely solid and consistent start to his season.

Through his first 16 games, Barkov had racked up 6 goals and 17 points while skating to an impressive plus-14 on-ice rating.

Florida’s advanced metrics at even strength have been just as good with Barkov on the ice. High danger chances are 53-26 in Florida’s favor and overall, the Panthers are outscoring their opponents 16-3 with Barkov on the ice at 5-on-5. 

In a nutshell, Barkov is having another extremely effective season on both ends of the ice and while the Panthers have enough talent to win on any given night without him, they are a far superior team with him in the lineup. 

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