Barkov week-to-week after knee-on-knee with Mayfield

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, interim head coach Andrew Brunette said Wednesday, according to NHL.com's Jameson Olive.

Barkov doesn't need surgery but will require rehab, Brunette added.

The 26-year-old took a knee-on-knee from New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield on Tuesday night. Mayfield received a five-minute major and game misconduct on the play but won't face any further discipline for the incident, reports The Athletic's Arthur Staple.

Here's a look at the play:

Barkov, one of the game's premier two-way centers, leads the Panthers with 17 points over 15 games this season. Here's how Florida's lines project to shake out in the reigning Selke Trophy winner's absence:

The NHL has never suspended Mayfield in his eight-year career, but he drew the ire of Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos during the 2021 playoffs for his cross-check on Nikita Kucherov.