The Florida Panthers currently trail the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Goals from Jonathan Marchessault, Alec Martinez, Nicholas Roy, and Brett Howden have put the team in a desperate situation.
Unfortunately, things are getting worse for the Panthers. Defenseman Radko Gudas has been ruled out for the rest of Game 2, the team announced on Monday night.
Gudas left Game 2 in the very first period. The Panthers defenseman attempted to defend Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev. Barbashev threw a hit on Gudas after clearing the puck, sending the Panthers defenseman to the ice.
Gudas's head appeared to hit the ice, and Barbashev fell on top of the Florida blueliner after the hit. The veteran defenseman left the ice, and the team ruled him out after an evaluation.
Gudas is a reliable presence for the Panthers on the backend. And he brings value with his unapologetically physical brand of hockey. The Florida veteran played around 11 and a half minutes in his team's Game 1 loss.
So far this postseason, Gudas is averaging nearly 18 minutes of ice time a game. He has no goals and three points through 18 games during the Panthers' run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Panthers currently trail the Golden Knights 4-0 in Game 2. Vegas chased Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky in the second period after Howden scored the team's fourth goal of the game.
The Golden Knights hold a 1-0 series lead. Vegas is in prime position to extend that series lead given the current score. The Panthers certainly want to salvage something as the series shifts to Florida on Thursday.
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