The Florida Panthers already had an uphill battle in facing the historic Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, they are concerned about star defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Ekblad was involved in a nasty collision with Bruins star Charlie McAvoy in the second period. The Panthers star initially returned to the game but was not seen on the bench for the third period.
The collision occurred when the Bruins were back on defense. After McAvoy and Boston cleared the puck, the Bruins defenseman ran into Ekblad, sending both to the ice. Ekblad appeared to favor his head.
Ekblad is one of the most relied-upon members of the Panthers team. He played a little over 13 minutes before leaving this game and played nearly 25 minutes in the team's Game 2 victory.
The Panthers made the playoffs as the Eastern Conference's second wild card team. Ekblad had a big role in that effort defensively and contributed 38 points in 71 games offensively.
Ekblad has long been one of Florida's premier players. The team selected the veteran blueliner first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. The defenseman made his NHL debut in October 2014.
Since then, Ekblad has etched his name in Panthers history. No defenseman has played more games or scored more points with the team than the Windsor, Ontario native.
We won't know anything about his condition until after the game. Hopefully, the 27-year-old Panthers star is able to get back out on the ice soon. Only time will tell how big an impact this will have on Florida's playoff chances.
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