FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are navigating a season plagued by injuries, but the team is growing closer as they celebrate major milestones, including head coach Paul Maurice's 2,000th career game on Tuesday night.
Aleksander Barkov was injured in the preseason. His injury paved the way for giving more ice time to others on the roster. However, with more opportunity has come more opportunity to get hurt, like the most recent injury to defenseman Niko Mikkola.
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"When your highest minute guy goes down, everyone kind of gets elevated, and on every team I've played on, when you have a big injury, you see a lot more injuries because everyone is playing in an elevated role," Evan Rodriguez said.
Maurice provided an update on Mikkola, noting the injury scare is a big relief for a team that thought it was seeing deja vu.
"Good news on him, he'll be weeks instead of months. Probably a four-to-six-week rehab and no surgery," Maurice said.
"The other end of that spectrum is a Barkov. So, we're really relieved of that one," Maurice said.
Instead of hanging their heads, the team has grown closer, celebrating milestones like Brad Marchand's 1,000th career point. When the puck drops Tuesday night, Maurice will take on his 2,000th career game.
"He's probably the best coach I've ever had in terms of the whole game, speeches, and X's and O’s," Rodriguez said.
"2,000 games it's special and to be able to share it with him and all of us it's pretty amazing," Carter Verhaeghe said.
While the players sing the coach's praises, Maurice is taking a different approach to the milestone.
"It's been an unusual day. I hadn't thought about it. Then I was shown a life reel, and I was young and unprepared. I certainly don't feel as young, and I'd like to think I'm far better prepared," Maurice said.
As the Florida Panthers chase a third Stanley Cup championship this season, WPTV is along for the ride!
We will be highlighting the team with our new show on South Florida's 9 called "Panthers 360".
Hosted by WPTV anchor Mike Trim, watch the show each Wednesday evening and also streaming at 7:30 p.m.
We will take an in-depth look at the season, break down film and connect with the players and special stories off the ice.
Every Monday at 12:15 p.m. on the WPTV YouTube page, Trim will be joined by different analysts to discuss the latest on the team. We want to hear your thoughts, so post your questions and comments while the live interview takes place!
South Florida's 9 is your home for Panthers hockey all season long!
