TORONTO – The Florida Panthers will take the ice without captain Aleksander Barkov and Nico Sturm against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.
Both players suffered apparent injuries in Tuesday’s loss at Montreal.
While it’s unclear exactly when the injury occurred, Barkov (upper body) exited in the second period, but did return to finish the game.
Sturm (undisclosed) exited early in the first period and did not return following a violent collision with a teammate in the neutral zone.
With both players unavailable in Toronto, Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich will re-enter the lineup for the Panthers.
In Barkov’s absence, the Panthers will put Sam Reinhart with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen on their top line.
With built-in chemistry, that trio has spent 358:22 of ice time together at 5-on-5 since 2022-23, with the Panthers leading 18-11 in goals in that time.
Last suiting up on March 11, Nosek will take Sturm’s spot in the center of the fourth line.
Barkov ranks second on the Panthers in scoring with 67 points (19 goals, 48 assists), while Sturm has played an integral role on the penalty kill since being acquired at the trade deadline.
After their matchup with the Maple Leafs, the Panthers, who trail Toronto by just two points for first in the Atlantic Division, won’t play again until Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
Update: Following a 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice announced that Barkov is day to day.
"He'll play as soon as he's healthy," he said. "I don't think it's a long-term deal."
