Ekblad missed Game 4 due to an undisclosed injury but will dress for Game 5 on Wednesday as the Panthers continue their hard-fought series vs. Boston. The 27-year-old has yet to pick up a point through three games so far in these playoffs, but has six SOG, two PIMs and a +1 plus/minus.
Ekblad gave the Panthers yet another injury scare as he left their previous game after just three shifts and 1:50 TOI due to an upper-body injury. The 26-year-old will play Monday after skating with the team earlier in the day, and will be hoping to add to his seven goals, 13 assists, 97 SOG and 40 PIMs he has collected through 37 games this season.
Ekblad was considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury but it seems will not miss any time as he is expected to be in the Panthers' lineup Thursday vs. Montreal. The 26-year-old has had another injury-riddled season, but still managed to put up four goals, 10 assists and 72 SOG through 24 games played
Ekblad was considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury but it seems will not miss any time as he is expected to be in the Panthers' lineup Thursday vs. Montreal. The 26-year-old has had another injury-riddled season, but still managed to put up four goals, 10 assists and 72 SOG through 24 games played.
Ekblad will return to the Panther's lineup Saturday vs. Edmonton. The 26-year-old has been out since October 17th when he left a game against Boston early with a lower-back injury. Through his first three games of the season, he had one goal and seven SOG while leading the Panthers blue line.
Ekblad is "expected" to return to the Panther's lineup Saturday vs. Edmonton. The 26-year-old has been out since October 17th when he left a game against Boston early with a lower-back injury. Through his first three games of the season, he had one goal and seven SOG while leading the Panthers blueline.
Ekblad will be eligible to play Saturday vs. Edmonton if Florida is able and willing to activate him in time. The 26-year-old has been out since October 17th when he left a game against Boston early with a lower-back injury. Through his first three games of the season, he had one goal and seven SOG while leading the Panthers blueline.
Ekblad left Monday's game with a lower-body injury and has landed on LTIR, which means he'll miss at least 10 goals or 24 days. The Panthers have yet to provide a timeline on his injury but this is obviously terrible news for a team that was already thin on the blueline.
Ekblad has been out since March 18th but is set to play in Game 1 of the postseason. Ekblad will log huge minutes on the top with Mackenzie Weegar and return to the top power-play unit right away. He had an outstanding season, finishing fifth among defensemen in points-per-game (0.93).
Moving Ekblad to LTIR opens up $7.5M in cap relief ahead of Monday's trade deadline. Ekblad will miss the rest of the regular season but should be ready to go for the first round of the playoffs. Losing Ekblad will hurt down the stretch but they are expected to use the cap-space to add Robert Hagg from Buffalo and could add more before the deadline.
Ekblad left Thursday's game and was unable to put any weight on his right leg, so overall this is positive news. Head coach Andrew Brunette said that they will know more once the swelling goes down. Ben Chiarot will meet the Panthers in Montreal and will likely make his debut, replacing Ekblad in the lineup. Mackenzie Weegar is expected to take his spot on PP1.
Ekblad could not put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off of the ice in the first period of Friday's game in Anaheim. Given Ekblad's long history of serious injuries, there was cause for concern. Head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters post-games that there was no structural damage and it was "positive news tonight and we'll go from there." All-in-all, it sounds like Ekblad avoided another serious injury and won't be sidelined long-term.
Ekblad went down awkwardly on Sunday and is expected to be out at least 12 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture. This is obviously a huge blow for the Panthers but also an unfortunate injury for Ekblad, who was enjoying a career year.
Ekblad missed last night's game vs. the Red Wings but will play tonight vs. the Canadiens. Ekblad has played very well recently, posting eight assists in his last eight games.
Ekblad was forced to leave Monday's game in Tampa Bay and was not on the ice when the Panthers reconvened for practice after the Christmas break. Ekblad, who has six assists in his last five games, will sit out the weekend back-to-back but head coach Joel Quenneville expects to "see on the road trip."
Ekblad was on the ice for the Panthers morning skate but did not come out for warmups. Ekblad is day-to-day with an illness, so look for him to be back in the lineup in Calgary on Thursday. Mark Pysyk will draw into the lineup for him tonight.
