yardbarker
As the Florida Panthers prepare for their third game of the season, injuries are dominating the headlines—a familiar narrative from the 2025-26 campaign. When they face the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night, the Panthers will be missing center and captain Aleksander Barkov, who was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday with a lower-body injury. He is required to sit out at least 10 games.
Barkov exited Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks in the second period after falling awkwardly while contesting the puck. The injury appeared to affect his left leg, and he missed the entire 2025-26 season due to ACL and MCL injuries in his right knee sustained on the first day of training camp. Despite that, Barkov was able to represent Finland at the IIHF World Championship, helping the team capture gold in May.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice emphasized that the new injury is unrelated to last year's issue. "It's not related to his injury last year at all," Maurice said after Thursday's game. On Saturday, Maurice told reporters that Barkov would return to Florida for further evaluation by the team's medical staff to determine the exact nature of the injury.
Barkov, 31, is a three-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward and was instrumental in the Panthers' Stanley Cup victories in 2024 and 2025. His absence is a significant blow to a team already dealing with multiple injuries.
Florida entered Thursday's game without defenseman Gustav Forsling, who is sidelined with an upper-body injury. Forsling scored in the Panthers' 1-0 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the season opener on Tuesday. Brad Marchand is expected to miss the entire month of October following an August surgical procedure, and winger Jonah Gadjovich remains on long-term injured reserve after neck surgery last November.
Maurice indicated that Forsling will be a game-time decision on Sunday. To bolster the roster, the Panthers recalled center Sam Lafferty and defenseman Alexander Petrovic from AHL Charlotte on Saturday.
In Thursday's loss, Eetu Luostarinen scored twice, Matthew Tkachuk added a goal, and Akira Schmid made 28 saves in his Panthers debut.
The Ducks are coming off a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night, avenging their second-round playoff elimination last season. Anaheim led 4-0 after two periods. "First one done, 83 more to go," said goalie Lukas Dostal, who stopped 27 shots.
Leo Carlsson contributed a goal and an assist on Friday. The 21-year-old signed a five-year, $90 million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers during the offseason, which Anaheim matched. "I think from the day that we drafted him, we viewed him as a cornerstone piece of our rebuild, and that hasn't changed," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. "We feel that Leo at some point, and I wouldn't say next year, but I think over the course of this contract, is going to show the elite player that he is, and it's going to give us great reasons for why we matched this offer." Carlsson recorded 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games last season and added four goals and 11 points in 12 playoff games.
Beckett Sennecke, Alex Killorn, and Jeff Malott also scored for the Ducks on Friday.
Key Analysis
The Panthers' injury woes could test their depth early in the season, especially with Barkov's extended absence. The Ducks, buoyed by a strong opening win and the long-term commitment to Carlsson, aim to capitalize on home ice and continue their momentum.
Originally reported by yardbarker.