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.