Elliotte Friedman confirms major news regarding Aleksander Barkov's injury

The Florida Panthers won Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers after heavily outshooting and outplaying the Oilers. Even though they pulled out a win the Florida Panthers suffered a big loss due to an injury to their captain Aleksander Barkov.

The injury to Aleksander Barkov occurred on a hit from Edmonton Oilers superstar forward Leon Draisaitl. While along the boards Leon Draisaitl used his elbow to his Aleksander Barkov in the head causing the injury.

This hit forced Aleksander Barkov out of the rest of the game. After the game the Panthers head coach Paul Maurice spoke but could not give that much of an update. Today the Panthers had practice for the first time since Aleksander Barkov's injury. A report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed that Aleksander Barkov was on the ice for practice.

After this report videos began to surface showing Aleksander Barkov on the ice with his teammates. This is a huge development because it means he was able to participate fully and receive contact meaning great things for his status heading into Game 3.

While nothing has been made official by the Florida Panthers themselves yet it seems likely that Aleksander Barkov will be in the lineup for Game 3. Once an official announcement is made regarding his status we will pass that update along to you.

Source: Hockey OTB
Major health update emerges on Aleksander Barkov ahead of game 3