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The Florida Panthers can be with out star defenseman Aaron Ekblad till Sport 1 of the postseason, head coach Paul Maurice shared on the crew’s Wednesday practice.
Ekblad exited the crew’s Tuesday matchup in opposition to the Montreal Canadiens after simply seven minutes of ice time, leaving with an damage but to be disclosed. No matter it’s, it can maintain Ekblad out of the crew’s remaining six video games — limiting his season to only 51 video games after a shoulder damage delayed his season’s begin to mid-November.
Ekblad posted his lowest scoring fee because the 2016-17 season, managing simply 4 objectives and 18 factors, or a 0.35 point-per-game tempo. The chilly efficiency ended Ekblad’s three-year streak of scoring double-digit objectives, which kicked off when he tallied 11 objectives in simply 35 video games in the course of the 2020-21 season.
Florida has made up for the absence of their former first-overall decide largely due to Gustav Forsling, who has taken over Ekblad’s function as a double-digit scorer and top-line defenseman. Forsling has 10 objectives and 35 factors in 73 video games this season, persevering with his streak of robust scoring after netting 37 and 41 factors during the last two seasons respectively.
He additionally leads the NHL in +/-, with a +47 — little question due to enjoying alongside Florida’s loaded prime line, but additionally a testomony to Forsling’s robust impression throughout the season. With stepped-up performances from Josh Mahura, Niko Mikkola, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Florida has been in a position to forge a blue-line able to enjoying with out Ekblad — although they’ll nonetheless eagerly anticipate his return after setting a 33-18 document when Ekblad is wholesome.
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