It's not a great time for the Florida Panthers to be missing their captain.
Over the past several days, the Panthers have lost three straight games for the first time since late November.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are just over two weeks away and the last thing Florida wants to do is stumble into the postseason.
On Wednesday in Toronto, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Panthers held out Captain Sasha Barkov due to an upper-body injury.
Barkov did play the night before in Montreal and there weren't any major situations or incidents that were caught on camera showing what could be perceived as a potential injury.
He did miss about seven minutes during the second period, but Barkov returned for the start of the third and was able to finish the game.
That's why it came as a surprise when Barkov did not take the ice for warmups in Toronto and subsequently was listed as a healthy scratch, with forward Jonah Gadjovich taking his spot in Florida's lineup.
Afterwards, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice provided an update on Barkov.
"Upper-body, day-to-day," said Maurice.
That's the big sigh of relief, as it's a good thing for Florida that the injury isn't anything major.
The Panthers are currently in the middle of a four-game road trip that will end this weekend with a back-to-back in Ottawa and Detroit.
Whether or not Barkov is able to suit up has yet to be determined, but considering how Florida is generally very cautious when it comes to players returning from injuries, it wouldn't be terribly surprising to see him sit out the rest of the trip and get a fresh start on home ice next week.
"He'll play as soon as he's healthy," Maurice said. "But I don't think it's a long term deal."
Barkov has played in 64 games for Florida this season, logging 19 goals and 67 points while gobbling up ice time playing in all situations between even strength and special teams.
If he is unable to play in all of Florida's seven remaining games, it would be the third time in four seasons that Barkov fails to reach the 70-game plateau.
He remains a favorite to win his third Selke Trophy this season as the NHL's top defensive forward.
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