SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice indicated on Saturday morning that his injured captain, Aleksander Barkov, could play in Game 3 against Tampa Bay later in the day.
“He has to take warmups,” Maurice said a couple of hours before the scheduled 1 p.m. ET puck drop. “He has to get through it. We think he’s good.”
On Friday, Maurice said Barkov hadn’t been ruled out for Game 3 but also hadn’t yet been cleared.
The defending champion Panthers lead the series, 2-0.
Barkov, one of the NHL’s best two-way players, was injured in the third period of Game 2 when he was walloped by a blind side hit from Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel. The NHL suspended Hagel one game for the hit, largely because the puck was nowhere near Barkov at the time of contact.
After absorbing the hit, Barkov remained on the ice for about a minute, then walked very slowly to the locker room at Amalie Arena midway through Game 2’s third period. He did not return.
(Photo: Mike Carlson / Getty Images)