Panthers' Aleksander Barkov Missed Friday's Game vs. Sabres
Aleksander Barkov missed the game Friday for the Florida Panthers, David Dwork of Local 10 Miami reports.
Sasha Barkov and Sam Bennett are considered day-to-day, not playing tonight. Maurice told me both are continuations of their previous injuries.
— David Dwork (@DavidDwork) February 24, 2023
Also, Givani Smith has been placed on LTIR.
Barkov has been dealing with a hand injury that has bothered him for the entire season. The Panthers probably wish now that they had shut him down weeks ago to let the injury heal 100% rather than have him play a few games, sit out, then play a few more.
Barkov has had an underwhelming season, as seemingly the entire team has, with 16 goals and 50 points in 49 games. That’s a far cry from his 39 goals and 88 points in 67 games last season. The Panthers will need a healthy Barkov if they want to reach the playoffs this season.
The Panthers lost to the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Friday and have fallen to 10th in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers are +2500 to win the Eastern Conference. You can find the odds for every NHL team to win their conference on the FanDuel Sportsbook.
