TORONTO – The Florida Panthers will take ice to prevent Alexander Barkov’s Massive Tan and Nico from struming against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scottia Bank Arena on Wednesday.
Both players suffered obvious injuries in their loss in Montreal on Tuesday.
It is unclear exactly when the injury occurred, but Barkov (upper body) left for the second season but returned to finish the game.
Sturm (private) ended early in the first period and did not return following a violent clash with his neutral zone teammates.
With both players unavailable in Toronto, Thomas Nozk and Jonah Gajovic will re-enter the Panthers lineup.
With Barkov’s absence, the Panthers place Sam Reinhart on the top line along with Anton Randell and Etu Luastalinen.
With chemistry built in, the trio spent 5-5 since 2022-23, 358:22 ice time together, leading 18-11 at that point.
Last wearing the suit on March 11th, Nosek wins a spot for Sturm in the center of the fourth line.
Barkov ranked second for the Panthers, scoring with 67 points (19 goals, 48 assists), and Sturm has played an integral role in the penalty kill since being acquired at the trade deadline.
The Panthers, who will first trail in the Atlantic Division with just two points after a matchup with the Maple Leafs, will not play again with the Ottawa Senator until Saturday.
Following tonight’s match, stay tuned for the latest updates on both Barkov and Sturm.
