The Florida Panthers are heading into their four-game road trip short-handed in goal, and the latest update from Paul Maurice makes the picture a little clearer. Jacob Markstrom is expected to miss the next 10-14 days after getting hurt in practice on Monday, leaving Florida to turn to Cooper Black.
Maurice told the media on Tuesday that Markstrom was struck by a puck, though he didn’t offer any further detail. The veteran goalie was also kept off the ice Tuesday.
Black was recalled from the Charlotte Checkers, and Maurice said the 6-foot-8 goaltender will make his NHL debut on the trip, which starts Wednesday night against the rival Ottawa Senators. If Black gets into his first NHL start, he’ll set the record as the tallest netminder in league history.
Markstrom has been steady since returning to Florida. Through six starts, the 36-year-old is 3-1-1 with a 2.21 goals-against average, a .897 save percentage and one shutout. The Panthers brought him and Angus Crookshank back this past offseason from the New Jersey Devils in a deal that sent Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves the other way.
Black arrives after a strong third season with Charlotte, where he posted a 25-13-4 record and helped the Checkers finish third in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.
There was one positive note for Florida on Tuesday: Radko Gudas is healthy and is expected back in the lineup Wednesday night against Ottawa after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury.
In Other News...
Brady Tkachuks Ottawa Return Just Got Even More Emotional
Brady Tkachuks first game back in Ottawa as a Florida Panther already had the kind of built-in drama that comes with a player returning to face his former team, and the emotional backdrop only grew this week. The former Senators captain is set to skate into an arena that knows him well, and he didnt sidestep the possibility of fans making their feelings known with old jerseys from his Ottawa days.
If that happens, Tkachuk said the jerseys will not just be left on the ice. Theyll be gathered up and donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa, a detail that adds a different tone to a night that has already prompted extra security planning from the Senators. Inside the room, though, Ottawa players say Tkachuk is not taking up much conversation, even if the matchup itself figures to draw plenty of attention outside it. [Read more 🡒]
Brady Tkachuk Heads Back To Ottawa With Plenty Still Unsaid
Brady Tkachuk is making his first trip back to Ottawa since the trade that sent him to the Panthers on June 21, and the return comes with his new club off to a strong start and Tkachuk right in the middle of it. He has 10 points in nine games, a quick reminder that Florida landed a player who has fit in fast even as the backdrop of this visit still has some old tension attached to it.
Tkachuk has already pushed back on recent remarks from Senators owner Michael Andlauer, making it clear his decision to leave Ottawa was his alone and not shaped by family influence. He said there were professional and personal reasons behind his choice not to re-sign, but he stopped short of laying out the full story, which leaves this homecoming with plenty of meaning and one important thread still hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers May Have Found A Line They Cannot Break Up
With injuries forcing Florida to improvise, the Panthers have stumbled onto a line that looks far too useful to treat as a temporary fix. Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk have brought a heavy, playoff-tested edge to the middle of the lineup, and the combination has given the team a different kind of threat at 5-on-5. Their experience in big games, both in the NHL and on the international stage, has helped turn a patchwork answer into something that feels more deliberate with each shift.
The real intrigue now is whether Florida can afford to move away from it once the roster gets healthier. This has been the club's most productive line so far, and it has also been one of the most reliable defensively, which is exactly the kind of balance coaches tend to trust in the postseason. Even if the Panthers eventually have more options, this stretch has made it harder to picture breaking up a group that has fit so cleanly into the team's bigger lineup plan. [Read more 🡒]