OTTAWA – Aaron Ekblad is likely to miss the rest of the regular season with an undisclosed injury, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice announced following Thursday's morning skate in Ottawa.
Ekblad, one half of the top-defensive pairing for the Panthers, appeared to sustain the injury during an altercation late in the first period of Tuesday’s 5-3 loss at Montreal.
Thankfully, No. 5 is expected to be back for when the games truly matter.
"We’re quite confident that he’s 100% and ready to go by the first game [of the playoffs],” Maurice said. “This is not new and it's not unknown to us, what it is. He's got a real good handle on how long it's going to take. He's progressing really well today form it. We’re good there.”
A skilled two-way defenseman, Ekblad has tallied 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) and 59 blocked shots in 51 games this season. When he’s been on the ice at 5-on-5, the Panthers have also controlled 58.38% of shot attempts, the highest mark among the team’s D-men.
With Ekblad unavailable, Josh Mahura, who’s suited up in 26 games this season and all 82 regular-season games with the Panthers in 2022-23, will man the blue line against the Senators tonight.
The puck drops in Ottawa at 7 p.m. ET.
