Panthers captain Sasha Barkov speaks after Florida's 5-3 loss to Montreal on April 2. It’s been a tough week on the injury front for the Florida Panthers. On Monday, Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe left Florida’s loss in Toronto with an upper-body injury that will keep him out for most, if not all, of the regular season. Less than 24 hours later Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad left the game in Montreal after the first period. Ekblad and Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky got into a mixup at the end of the period and fell to the ice after appearing to get tangled up. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] Speaking to the media from Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Thursday, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said Ekblad would probably not be playing for a few weeks. “I don’t think he plays the rest of the regular season,” Maurice said. “But we are quite confident that he’s 100% and ready to go by the first game.” Ekblad, 28, missed the first 16 games of the regular season while recovering from offseason surgery. He also missed a chunk of games last month with a lower-body injury. “This is not new, and it’s not unknown to us,” Maurice said of Ekblad’s injury. “He’s got a real good handle on how long it’s going to take and he’s progressing really well today from it, so we’ll get there.” Florida called up defenseman Uvis Balinkskis from AHL Charlotte on Wednesday. Maurice said Josh Mahura would slot into the lineup on Thursday in Ottawa, but that Balinskis would also see playing time over the final five games. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Tkachuk brothers meet as Panthers look to getting back to winning ways Thursday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/tkachuk-brothers-meet-as-panthers-look-to-getting-back-to-winning-ways-thursday] Panthers set to battle feisty Senators in matchup of teams that do not like each other [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-set-to-battle-feisty-senators-in-matchup-of-teams-that-do-not-like-each-other] Florida Panthers recall Uvis Balinskis from AHL Charlotte, Aaron Ekblad status unknown [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-recall-uvis-balinskis-from-ahl-charlotte-aaron-ekblad-status-unknown] Panthers will have their eyes on Leafs vs Lightning Wednesday . [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-will-have-their-eyes-on-leafs-vs-lightning-wednesday-] Three takeaways: Good start wasted, injuries becoming an issue again [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-good-start-wasted-injuries-becoming-an-issue-again] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
