Aleksander Barkov is skating again, and the Panthers say his recovery is on schedule after last night's 5-2 win over the Jets.
Brad Marchand has started skating too, according to FloridaPanthers.com, which reported Paul Maurice's injury updates on Thursday. Neither forward has suffered a setback.
"They are on schedule, and that's a positive," Maurice said. He put Barkov at four weeks and Marchand at probably three weeks from the day of his injury, inside a 6-8 week concept.
The latest injury report lists Barkov on IR and expected out until at least Nov 27. Marchand is listed on IR until at least Nov 21.
Florida sits at 8-4-2 through 14 games, and Barkov has played only two of them.
The captain left the Oct 1 game against the Paul Maurice's clock on Barkov and Marchand returns with a lower-body injury, but he avoided surgery. He missed all of last season with a leg injury, and he still tops the franchise list with 782 points.
Marchand went down on Oct 6 against the Kings after falling awkwardly into the post when he was high-sticked. He had scored in his season debut against the Ducks the game before.
Markstrom's return window and Schmid's hold on the crease
Jacob Markstrom is the closest to a return. He left practice before the recent road trip after being hit with a puck, and Maurice said the team is optimistic the timeline is closer to 10 days than 14.
"It'll all be feel on the ice for him, but he's not far off," Maurice said. The injury report lists the goaltender on IR until at least Nov 4.
Markstrom is 3-1-1 with a .897 save percentage and one shutout in six games. In his absence, Akira Schmid made 22 saves on 24 shots in Paul Maurice's decision to start Akira Schmid against the Jets.
Schmid had plenty of help. Anton Lundell scored three goals on eight shots, and Seth Jones added a goal and two assists. The Panthers have won three straight and sit 9th in the NHL, 3rd in the Atlantic.
Sam Bennett called Barkov and Marchand "two massive pieces to this team" and admitted the club feels it when they're out. He's right, and the standings say Florida has survived without them.
Rushing a 38-year-old like Marchand back to chase a headline would be a mistake, though, especially with a team in the top 10 and a goalie playing this well.
Florida hosts Detroit on Monday, Nov 2. Markstrom's Nov 4 listing is the next date to watch in the crease.
Should the Panthers hold Brad Marchand out past his earliest return date to protect a 38-year-old?
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