Barkov assisted on his first shift Thursday after missing three games to allow a lingering injury to heal
The Florida Panthers got their captain back on Tuesday.
Sasha Barkov had been held out of Florida's three games last week in order to allow time for a lingering injury to heal, according to Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.
Barkov was seen skating on his own during the week, but the decision was made to hold him out of the lineup for Thursday's home game against Nashville and their road back-to-back in New York and Philadelphia over the weekend.
When the 28-year-old took the ice on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena, he was presumably as fresh as a daisy, and it didn't take long for him to show it.
Florida scored a goal 27 seconds into the game, and it was Barkov making a nice play in front of the net before firing a sharp angle shot that was poked into the cage by Evan Rodrigues.
Barkov picked up the primary assist and appeared to be in top form as the game progressed.
"The guys in the medical room, they got me ready for this game, so I really appreciate it," Barkov said afterwards. "I felt pretty good, physically, so thank you to them."
Barkov is one of three Panthers players, along with Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk, who are averaging more than a point per game this season.
Through 63 games, Barkov has logged 18 goals and 49 assists. He's also formed a strong connection with Reinhart this season.
Of Reinhart's 51 goals, Barkov has assisted on 28 of them, with 15 of those 28 being primary assists.
In addition to his importance at even strength on both ends of the ice, Barkov also plays a key role on Florida's top power play and penalty killing units.
Entering play Wednesday, the Cats are tied for the NHL's fourth-best power play and hold the ninth-best penalty kill.
The Panthers strong season afforded Barkov the time he needed to heal ahead of what they hope is another long and prosperous playoff run.
"I think this was perfect timing, with the four days off we had," said Barkov. "Obviously you don't want to miss any games, but if you have the time, it's better to take care of that. We have a really deep team here so thankfully I had some time to get healthy."
Barkov and the Panthers will be back in action on Thursday when they host the New York Islanders.
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