Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss Monday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs; the team has labeled him day-to-day with a lower-body injury he originally suffered during Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Barkov left the game midway through the second period after a hit by Canadiens captain Shea Weber sent him to the ice in Florida's offensive zone corner.
It's not clear what exactly ailed Barkov after the hit, but he actually appeared to trip over Montreal defenseman Ben Chiariot's left leg as players from both clubs battled for the puck. The Panthers captain skated straight to the bench as play moved in the other direction rather than continue his shift and missed the rest of the game.
Here is Barkov's last shift during the second period. He was hit from behind by Shea Weber in the offensive zone corner and went down a little awkwardly. He got up and skated straight to the #FlaPanthers bench. pic.twitter.com/1WsEvVfntP
— David Dwork (@DavidDwork) February 1, 2020
Barkov has emerged as a full-blown superstar in Florida since the club drafted him second overall in 2013, making his health of paramount importance to a potential Panthers playoff run.
Head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters after Saturday's game that the team does not believe the is serious, but the captain will miss Monday's game against Toronto as the Panthers (28-17-5, 61 points) try to re-take third place in the Atlantic Division from the Leafs (28-17-7, 63 points).
Barkov has 54 points in 50 games this season, trailing only linemate Jonathan Huberdeau, who sits tied with Buffalo's Jack Eichel for eighth in the league in scoring (65 points).