Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is playing in Game 3 on Saturday, less than 48 hours after he was forced out of Thursday’s game by a hard hit.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel hit Barkov midway through the third period in Game 2, sending him off the ice for the rest of the game. Hagel was suspended for one game by the NHL Player Safety department on Friday for interference.
Barkov, who had three assists in the first two playoff games, is one of the Panthers’ top scorers. He has won the Selke Trophy twice as the NHL’s top defensive forward.
The Panthers, who also got defenseman Aaron Ekblad back from a 20-game PED suspension, entered Saturday with a 2-0 lead in their first-round series against their division rival.
Here’s the latest on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov:
Aleksander Barkov injury update
Barkov had recovered enough from Thursday’s hard hit to play in Game 3. He was skating on his usual line with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart.
Aleksander Barkov stats
Barkov had 71 points in 67 games to finish second on the Panthers in scoring in the regular season. He has three points (all assists) in the playoffs heading into Saturday’s game.
Hagel hit on Barkov
