The center left a 6-1 win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday after a knee-on-knee collision with defenseman Scott Mayfield.
"Could've been worse," Panthers coach Andrew Brunette said Wednesday. "We'll deal with it as we go. … No surgery. We'll evaluate it as we go."
Barkov leads the Panthers with nine goals and 17 points in 15 games this season and is their leader among forwards in ice time per game (20:51). The captain has been first or second in scoring for Florida in each of the past five seasons.
"Obviously, a tough guy to see go down," Panthers forward Patric Hornqvist said Tuesday. "He's our leader and our best player. We need him to go where we want to be. I hope he's all right."
Florida (11-2-3), which had lost four straight games prior to Tuesday, hosts the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, MSG+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
