No formal update on Aleksander Barkov injury, but Paul Maurice’s tone is telling

Paul Maurice had no immediate update on Aleksander Barkov’s status postgame after the Florida Panthers’ captain left Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final with 9:28 left in regulation after getting hit high by Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.

Maurice did note, however, that Barkov wasn’t held out for the rest of the eventual 4-1 win as a precaution.

“There’s 9:28 on the clock in a 2-1 game. I’m not holding him” if he can play, Maurice said.

Maurice’s somber tone as he spoke throughout his press conference said everything that needed to be said. No timeline or specifics about the injury have been announced, but his status for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday in Edmonton, at minimum, appears to be jeopardy.

Maurice didn’t want to comment on the hit itself. Nor did Panthers players.

“This isn’t the Oprah Winfrey Show,” Maurice said. “My feelings don’t matter.”

But the impact of a potential Barkov absence, however long it might be, would have a massive impact on the Panthers and their quest for their first Stanley Cup.

The 28-year-old center is the backbone of this Panthers team. He entered Monday tied with Matthew Tkachuk with a team-high 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) and been on the ice for just eight goals against at five-on-five despite facing each opponent’s top players. He’s on the top power play and penalty kill units.

“You don’t want to see anybody get hurt,” veteran forward Kyle Okposo said.

Florida managed to not only hold on after Barkov’s departure, but continued to build its lead. Evan Rodrigues scored in the dying seconds of the power play that came from Draisaitl’s hit — it was Rodrigues’ second goal of the period — to push Florida’s lead to 3-1. The Panthers then capped scoring with an Aaron Ekblad empty-net goal with 2:28 left to play.

“We rallied,” Rodrigues said. “We did what we had to do to win the game. You never want to see your captain go down, but I thought everyone did a great job, focused in and got the job done.”

Now, all the Panthers can do is wait and see what comes next with their captain.