Major Blow for the Florida Panthers as Their Top Scorer Sidelined vs. The Buffalo Sabres
Head Coach Paul Maurine has announced that star forward Matthew Tkachuk is out against Buffalo due to an illness.
According to Maurice, defenseman Adam Boqvist, who left Tuesday's season opening game against the Boston Bruins after taking a puck to the face, will return to the lineup in Tkachuk's absence, with Florida running a 11F/7D lineup against the Sabres.
The move comes as Florida is already without fellow star Aleksander Barkov, the center having been injured late in the Panthers game against the Ottawa Senators.
Paul Maurice said Barkov will miss approximately 2-3 weeks, with Maurice optimistic of Barkov returning for Florida's Global Series games in Barkov's native Finland.
According to Sportsnet Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, Barkov avoided a potential fracture, which would have caused him to miss even more time if so. David Pagnotta of 'The Fourth Period' called Barkov's injury a "sprain".
Florida's opponent, the Buffalo Sabres are dealing with their own injury issues with winger JJ Peterka confirmed out against the Panthers with a concussion, although Peterka has been skating with the team.
Owen Power and Jordan Greenway, who both did not take part in practice yesterday for what the team called a "maintenance day", are both active and will start for the Sabres.
Matthew Tkachuk, 26, had 26 goals and 88 points for the Stanley Cup winning Panthers in the 2023-24 season, and currently has 2 assists in 2 games with Florida this current season.
Aleksander Barkov, 29, had 23 goals, 57 assists & 80 points in 73 games for the Panthers last season, with an assist in two games this season for Florida. Barkov and Tkachuk tied for the Panthers lead in playoff scoring with 22.
The Florida Panthers are 1-1-0 on the season, with the Buffalo Sabres having a pointless 0-3-0 record on the year. Florida won all three of their matches against Buffalo last season.
It will be a youth battle in net with 23-year-old Spencer Knight in the crease for the Panthers against Buffalo's 22-year-old Devon Levi. Knight starts in his 50th NHL game while Levi is in his 30th start and 32nd career game.
