Barkov to be evaluated for injury, Panthers optimistic for Game 4

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Aleksander Barkov will be evaluated for a lower-body injury by the Florida Panthers after the center left in the first period of their 1-0 win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes at FLA Live Arena on Monday.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice told WQAM in Miami he thought the center might return to Game 3 and is hopeful the injury isn't long term.

"We don't think it's anything too sinister, so he'll come in and get worked on real hard today and worked on real hard tomorrow," Maurice said Tuesday. "We'll have a better idea after we see him today where he's at, but I would say I'm more on the optimistic side right now."

The Panthers have a 3-0 lead in the series and can advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Barkov did not play the final 7:04 of the first following a hip check from Hurricanes forward Jack Drury on his final shift. There was no update on his condition after the game.

"He's at a Bar Mitzvah. Yeah, that's what we'll go with," Maurice said. "Bar Mitzvah, and he didn't want to disappoint the kids."

Barkov, who is Panthers captain, has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 15 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to help Florida reach the conference final for the first time since 1996. He had two goals and an assist in the first two games of this best-of-7 series, including a highlight-reel backhand goal in the second period of a 2-1 overtime victory in Game 2 on Saturday.

RELATED: [Complete Hurricanes vs. Panthers series coverage]

Barkov finished second in scoring for Florida during the regular season with 78 points (23 goals, 55 assists) in 68 games. Forward Matthew Tkachuk led with 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists).

"Definitely he's the best player in the world, so obviously it changes things," Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas said.

NHL.com staff writers Amalie Benjamin and Jon Lane contributed to this report