Panthers waiting to see if Barkov will be available for Game 3 against Lightning on Saturday

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers are waiting to see if captain Aleksander Barkov will be able to play Saturday when their playoff series resumes against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

This much is known: Brandon Hagel, the Lightning player that hit Barkov, won’t be out there.

Barkov missed the final 10:09 of the Panthers’ win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series at Tampa Bay on Thursday night after taking a hit from Hagel. The NHL, late Friday night, said Hagel will be suspended for Game 3.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he has “two or three” different lineups in mind for Game 3, which is on the Panthers’ ice in Sunrise. Florida leads the series 2-0.

“He hasn’t been ruled out yet and he hasn’t been cleared,” Maurice said when asked if he had an update on Barkov’s status.

Panthers waiting to see if Barkov will be available for Game 3 against Lightning on Saturday | iNFOnews.ca — Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) takes down Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) during the third period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Barkov remained down on one knee briefly after the hit, then skated off and went to the Panthers’ locker room. He did not return. Hagel drew a 5-minute major for interference on the play and had a call Friday afternoon with the NHL’s department of player safety, which decided on the one-game suspension.

Maurice indicated that he did not expect the Panthers’ approach in Game 3 to be retaliatory in response to the hit.

“We made a pretty significant shift in how we approach games halfway through last year to become a very disciplined team and we can’t lose that,” Maurice said. “At the same time, we’ll play as hard as we possibly can and we have a style of play that we want to adhere to.”

Barkov has played in all 73 of Florida’s playoff games since he joined the club. He is Florida’s all-time leader in playoff appearances, assists (43), points (62) and is tied for third in goals (19).

“He’s a strong guy,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “It’s the playoffs. Those things are going to happen. He’ll bounce back and we’ll bounce back as a team.”