Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk exited the game against the Carolina Hurricanes after sustaining an injury near the end of the first period, the team announced Thursday.
The Panthers announced that defenceman Gustav Forsling will also not return.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said after the game that both players are day-to-day and will be evaluated tomorrow.
Tkachuk suffered the injury after taking a big hit from Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov in the Panthers’ zone.
The incident occurred with 2:05 left in the first period and he would not return to Florida’s bench to start the second. He had played 5:39 in the game up to that point and registered one hit.
Meanwhile, Forsling’s last shift came with 6:57 left in the first period. He fell in the corner earlier in the frame, landing on top of Svechnikov. It’s unclear whether that was the cause of the injury.
Tkachuk has been a big contributor for the Panthers this season, netting 20 goals and 65 points without missing any games so far. Forsling has eight goals and 27 points for Florida this year and carries a team-leading +39 plus-minus.
The Panthers are currently 37-15-4 and are one point behind the Boston Bruins for the lead in the Atlantic division.
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