Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov suffered injuries in Tuesday’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and as a result, the Florida Panthers will be dressing two rookies who will make their NHL debuts against the Ottawa Senators tonight.
The Florida Panthers will be without Seth Jones tonight against the Ottawa Senators as the veteran defenseman suffered a break in his foot against the Montreal Canadiens.
The injuries truly won’t stop coming for the Panthers. On Tuesday, they witnessed Dmitry Kulikov, who was already playing with a broken nose, suffer a broken finger, ending his season.
Jones has now suffered a break in his foot, which will likely end his 2025-26 campaign. Jones missed 26 games earlier this season when he was hit in the face with a puck during the Winter Classic. In 52 games, the 31-year-old’s season finishes with seven goals and 32 points, averaging 23:42 of ice time, a full minute more than the next closest player.
With Jones and Kulikov now out of the lineup, Ludvig Jansson and Marek Alscher will make their NHL debut.
Jansson is a 22-year-old defenseman who the Panthers selected in the fourth round (125th overall) in the 2022 NHL draft. The six-foot, right-handed defenseman has notched three goals and 10 points in 29 AHL games in his rookie season.
Alscher is also a 22-year-old defenseman who the Panthers selected in the third round (93rd overall) in the 2022 NHL draft. The 6-foot-3, left-handed defenseman has posted three goals and 11 points in 51 games in his second AHL season.
The Panthers take on the red-hot Senators tonight, and it will be a tough task for these young rookies to slow down the Sens offense.
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