The Florida Panthers finished their season-opening road trip with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, but they were dealt another injury blow.
Veteran winger Brad Marchand left the game late in the second period with a lower-body injury after his left leg buckled as he drove toward the net.
Matthew Tkachuk described the situation bluntly during his postgame media availability.
“Yeah, brutal,” Tkachuk said. “Haven’t seen him yet, but obviously want to check in on him. And yeah, just (stinks). Unfortunate.”
Marchand needed help leaving the ice and did not put weight on his left leg. Panthers coach Paul Maurice couldn’t provide an update after the game, saying Marchand would likely be examined Thursday once the team has returned to Florida.
The timing adds another concern for a Panthers team already dealing with captain Aleksander Barkov’s absence, as Maurice confirmed before Tuesday’s game that the Florida captain is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury too.
Marchand’s injury came in just his second game of the season. He returned Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks after missing Florida’s first two games while recovering from offseason surgery for an unspecified lower-body issue.
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Tkachuk said these latest setbacks are bringing back memories of last season, when Florida repeatedly lost players to injuries that ultimately derailed their season.
“Unfortunately, we had to deal with that pretty much every single game last year,” Tkachuk said. “I know when I came back, I came in mid-to-late January and literally it seemed like every game somebody was going down. When your name’s called, you get the tap in the back to go out there and just go out there and do a job.”
The Panthers will return to action on Saturday to face the Minnesota Wild at 6 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena.
