Panthers lose captain Aleksander Barkov late in 3rd period of loss to Senators

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Florida’s first loss of the season might have been costly, with captain Aleksander Barkov leaving with 1:10 remaining after crashing into the end boards and getting hurt.

Barkov was trying to prevent an empty-net goal when he got hurt, giving chase toward a loose puck that Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle tapped into the net to seal the Senators’ 3-1 win. Stutzle and Barkov got tangled up and the Florida forward — at basically full speed — crashed feet-first into the end boards, immediately grimacing in pain.

Barkov needed about a minute before he could get to his feet, then needed help from teammates Evan Rodrigues and Uvis Balinskis to get off the ice and get to the Florida locker room for evaluation.

There was no immediate word on the nature or severity of the injury. It appeared that Barkov could put no weight on his right leg, which he flexed a couple of times as he made his way off the ice.

“He’s going to get looked at here tonight, and probably tomorrow as well,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said in Ottawa after the game.

The Panthers were scheduled to fly to Buffalo on Friday afternoon and will play the Sabres on Saturday.

The play started innocently enough, with Barkov in the offensive end trying to help Florida tie the game. Down 2-1, Barkov tried a wrist shot from just inside the blue line and broke his stick in the process. The puck trickled only a few feet, then was flipped down the other end by Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk toward the empty Panthers net.

Barkov, without a stick, gave chase but couldn’t stop Stutzle from scoring.

The 29-year-old Barkov — the reigning Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward — is in his 12th season, all with the Panthers. He was the first Finnish-born player to be the captain of a Stanley Cup champion when Florida topped Edmonton for last season’s title.

The Panthers are scheduled to play two games in Barkov’s homeland on Nov. 1 and 2, when they travel to Tampere, Finland for a pair of matchups against the Dallas Stars.

Barkov is the Panthers’ career leader in a number of categories, including goals (266), assists (446), points (712) and game-winning goals (48).