FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Aaron Ekblad will miss at least two more games for the Florida Panthers because of an undisclosed injury, coach Paul Maurice said Sunday.
The defenseman did not play for the Panthers in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Ekblad appeared to be injured when he blocked a shot from Rickard Rakell late in the first period of a 3-2 shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 3.
He played most of that game up until the end of the third period, when Maurice kept him out. Then he missed the following game, a 3-1 loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 6, but played 24:01 two nights later in a 4-1 victory at the Utah Hockey Club.
“We want to be careful. This is nothing sinister or long-term, but he played the other night,’’ Maurice said before the loss Saturday. “I thought he played very well with it. The question is, how many times do we want to do that? We have to let this thing heal.”
Ekblad has 20 points (two goals, 18 assists) in 41 games this season while averaging 23:32 of ice time.
Florida (25-15-3) visits the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSP, TVAS) and the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+).
Maurice also said Sunday that forward Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) would not travel. The Panthers left skills coach Maxim Ivanov in South Florida to work with Ekblad and Gadjovich.
Gadjovich has one goal in 18 games.
“We’ll see where they are when we get back,” Maurice said.
