Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice spoke to the media today following an optional practice, providing updates on three recently injured players.
Those players are Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Anton Lundell. All three players are considered day-to-day and possible game-time decisions for tomorrow’s contest against the Boston Bruins.
“There’s a chance they all play tomorrow; there’s a chance none of them play tomorrow,” said Maurice.
Bennett is the most recent Panthers player to sustain an injury, leaving Monday’s contest against the Buffalo Sabres with an upper-body injury. He exited the game in the first period after logging just 5:11 of ice time and did not return.
The 29-year-old has scored 19 goals and 42 points in 55 games this season and was recently named an injury replacement for Team Canada.
Marchand had returned for four games before suffering another injury. He’s missed the previous two games with an undisclosed injury and is hoping to get back into the lineup before departing for the Olympics. The 37-year-old ranks second in both goals and points on the Panthers.
Marchand was on the ice today, skating in a regular practice jersey.
Lundell is the final Panthers forward now dealing with an injury, as his is also to the upper body. He’s missed the previous three games, but like Bennett and Marchand, he hopes to return to the lineup before joining Team Finland for the Olympics.
The 24-year-old has scored 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points in 52 games this season.
The Panthers are now nine points back of the Bruins for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and if they are without all three forwards, they run a real risk of falling even farther behind in the playoff race. Their chances of making the playoffs are already slim, and a pair of losses before the Olympic break would begin to shut the door on their three-peat hopes.
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