The Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will not play in the team’s first two games of its upcoming road trip, coach Paul Maurice confirmed on Sunday. Barkov missed Florida’s 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday due to suffering a non-Covid illness.
Barkov also missed out on the game against the Dallas Stars last week, however, he was able to participate in the three games leading up to the St. Louis Blues game. In addition, the Panthers captain was also reported to have been absent from practice on Friday and Saturday due to what Maurice labeled as residual effects of his illness.
“The moment he feels ready, we’ll get him on the trip,” Maurice assured the media. “He has seen all the people he has needed to see and it is precautionary as well. We just don’t want to put him on an airplane where his illness is at right now.”
Without Barkov, Florida has struggled to find their form, losing five of their last seven games. Currently, the Panthers sit in 5th place in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division, winning 10 of their opening 21 games.
