Losing him for any significant period of time would have been devastating, as the team is already without top-line center Aleksander Barkov for three to four weeks after he broke his hand, per Davis. Had surgery been required, Barkov would have been out of action for at least two months.
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The injury, suffered last Thursday against Chicago, definitely is a tough blow for both the Panthers and Barkov, who had gotten off to a hot start with six points (3G/3A) in the club’s first seven games.
RW Jaromir Jagr left Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche due to a lower-body injury, possibly in the hamstring area, and will not return.
Nick Bjugstad replaced Barkov on the top line with Jonathan Huberdea in Saturday’s 6-2 rout of the Dallas Stars.
Michal Neuvirth’s move from mop-up reliever to ace starter helped the Flyers make a dent in the win column.
The Florida Panthers hope their season opener is a sign of good things to come. Jagr, the oldest player in the National Hockey League at 43, played just 2:30 in the game.
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The Florida Panthers acquired forward Reilly Smith and the contract of forward Marc Savard on Wednesday from the Boston Bruins in exchange for forward Jimmy Hayes.
