Story by
Aleksander Barkov injury update: Panthers star returns vs. Lightning after Hagel hit
- Story by
- Aleksander Barkov injury update: Panthers star returns vs. Lightning after Hagel hit
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov played in Game 3 on Saturday, less than 48 hours after he was forced out of Thursday's game by a hard hit .
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel hit Barkov midway through the third period in Game 2, sending him off the ice for the rest of the game. Hagel was suspended for one game by the NHL Player Safety department on Friday for interference.
Advertisement
Barkov, who had three assists in the first two playoff games, is one of the Panthers' top scorers. He has won the Selke Trophy twice as the NHL's top defensive forward.
The Panthers, who also got defenseman Aaron Ekblad back from a 20-game PED suspension , saw their lead in the best-of-seven series cut to 2-1 after Saturday's 5-1 loss .
Here's the latest on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov:
Aleksander Barkov injury update
Barkov had recovered enough from Thursday's hard hit to play in Game 3. He was skating on his usual line with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart .
What Aleksander Barkov did on Saturday
He had no points, five shots, two hits, one blocked shot and a minus-2 rating in 18:52 of ice time.
Advertisement
Aleksander Barkov stats
Barkov had 71 points in 67 games to finish second on the Panthers in scoring in the regular season. He has three points (all assists) in the playoffs heading into Saturday's game.
Hagel hit on Barkov
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aleksander Barkov injury update: Panthers star back after Hagel hit
