Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell exited Thursday's pre-season game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an upper-body injury and did not return.

Following the Panthers' 5-2 loss in what was a very chippy affair, coach Paul Maurice mentioned that Lundell would be evaluated tomorrow, and the injury he sustained was to the upper body.

“He’ll get looked at tomorrow.”

Lundell played just 8:40, recording a shot on goal and a hit before he was forced to exit the game and did not return for the third period. The hope is that the injury is nothing serious and he'll be ready for the season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

With both Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov out long-term, Lundell will see his ice time rise, his role increase and feel the pressure to fill in the shoes as a top-six center. The as of today 24-year-old has stated that Barkov's absence is awful news for the team, but he is ready to step up and take on a larger role.

He and the Panthers want that to be from Game 1 of the regular season, which is why his health is imperative. The best-case scenario is that the Panthers removed him as a precaution and he is day-to-day. The Panthers are facing enough long-term injuries and don't need to add their young center to that list.

Penalty-filled contest consumes Panthers preseason loss to Tampa Bay The preseason continued for the Florida Panthers on Thursday night in Tampa, but it felt very different than any of the Cats’ previous exhibition games.

Panthers' Anton Lundell Exits Game With Upper-Body Injury; To Be Evaluated Further