"He's our captain for a reason," Panthers forward Nick Cousins said after Sunday's practice. "He's the driver of our team. He's obviously a big loss for us up front, especially in the middle of the ice. I think we're going to have to do it by committee. Everyone's going to have to step up and take on a bit more of a role. I think it's a chance for guys to get more ice time and hopefully take advantage of it. It's going to be a big loss for us, but hopefully he can get back on the trip."
To help fill the void left by Barkov's absence, Aleksi Heponiemi was called up from the AHL and skated on a line with Eetu Luostarinen and Colin White during Sunday's practice. His second recall of the season, the 23-year-old has tallied one assist in two games with Florida in 2022-23.
In 16 games in the AHL with Charlotte this season, he's produced seven points (four goals, three assists).
"He's a player that you can put into any hole in your top-12 and you know exactly what to expect from him," Maurice said of Heponiemi, a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. "He's an incredibly bright player. He competes on those pucks. I know he's not the biggest guy, but I don't care because he fights hard enough. He's so smart that he's going to make things happen."
Without Barkov in the final game of their homestand, the Panthers picked up a point and improved to 10-8-3 on the season with a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. That being said, players felt like they left a second point on the table after letting a late lead slip away.
Leading 4-1 in the third period on goals from Aaron Ekblad, Radko Gudas, Carter Verhaeghe and Anton Lundell, the Panthers allowed three goals within a span of 7:55 as the Blues tied things up and made it 4-4 in the blink of an eye. Once in overtime, Jordan Kyrou scored his second goal of the game to complete the comeback for the Blues.
Maurice expects the lingering feeling from that finish to fuel his players in Edmonton.
"It's going to be a tough trip for us, so we've got to make sure that we're mentally ready for it," Maurice said after the loss. "I think we are. That's a tough way to end a game. We'll carry that for two days and then make amends when the puck drops."
Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in points (27) and assists (18) while Verhaeghe paces the team in goals (12). Moving things around a bit with no Barkov during Sunday's practice, Tkachuk was lining up with Sam Bennett and Cousins, and Verhaeghe was slotted with Sam Reinhart and Lundell.
Cousins said he's eager to embrace his opportunity on the top line.
"Those two are highly skilled players," said Cousins, who's dished out three assists over his last three games. "They see the ice really well. They can make plays out of pretty much nothing. We've played together a little bit before. Obviously excited to play with those two."
Sitting at 11-10-0, the Oilers are riding high after snapping out of a two-game skid with an improbable 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday. With the Rangers leading 3-0 in the third period, Evan Bouchard, who had no goals through 20 games entering the matchup, beat Igor Shesterkin on the power play at 4:40 before scoring again at 7:32 to make it 3-2.
At 10:21, Dylan Holloway scored his first goal of the season to make it 3-3 and tie the contest. With 2:02 left in regulation, Leon Draisaitl cashed in on the power play to stun the Rangers and put Edmonton up 4-3.
"Once one went in, everything was going in," Bouchard told reporters after the win. "It was good for the team, a good character win. It's one we have to remember."
Connor McDavid leads the Oilers and ranks first in the NHL in scoring with 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists). Tied for third in the NHL, Draisaitl has produced 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists).
Despite holding McDavid and Draisaitl to just one assist each, the Panthers suffered a 4-2 loss in their first meeting with the Oilers this season on Nov. 12 in Sunrise. In that matchup, Tyson Barrie scored a pair of goals and Stuart Skinner stopped 40 shots to lead Edmonton to the win.
"Those two players are probably two of the best players in the world," Cousins said of McDavid and Draisaitl. "You've got to take away their time and space. The best defense is playing in their own end and making them stop and just try and make them play a defensive game all night."
In their last two trips to Edmonton, the Panthers have gone 2-0-0 while outscoring the Oilers 12-2.
