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SUNRISE — Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left Monday’s Game 2 Stanley Cup Final win over the Oilers with an injury after Edmonton star Leon Draisaitl hit him in the face in the third period.
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Barkov did not return to the game, and Florida coach Paul Maurice did not offer an update on Barkov’s status after the game. Maurice said he did not hold Barkov out for strategic reasons.
“It was 9:28 on the clock, I believe, with a 2-1 lead,” Maurice said. “I was not holding him.”
Draisaitl was sent to the penalty box on a two-minute minor roughing penalty. After the game, he said it was not a dirty hit.
“It’s just a hit,” Draisaitl said. “I don’t think there’s anything dirty about it.”
Said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch: “Hands got up a little bit high. He’s trying to knock him off the puck, and that led to the penalty.”
When asked if the NHL would look at the hit following the game, Maurice gave a short answer.
“The league looks at everything,” Maurice said. “They’ll look at every hit.”
Similarly, when asked how he felt about the hit, Maurice said his feelings did not matter.
“This isn’t the Oprah Winfrey Show,” Maurice said.
Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk and winger Vladimir Tarasenko did not comment on the hit after the game. Fourth-line forward Kyle Okposo said he did not see it.
“Obviously, you don’t want to see anybody get hurt,” Okposo said. “I thought we did a good job sticking with it. We found a way.”
