Injury-riddled Panthers to split up Jagr, Huberdeau vs. Penguins
With center Aleksander Barkov sitting on the injured reserve thanks to an upper-body injury, the Florida Panthers will split up the other two parts of their top line Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins after fellow forwards Brandon Pirri and Quinton Howden were hurt on Saturday.
Jonathan Huberdeau will skate with Nick Bjugstad and Jussi Jokinen, while Jaromir Jagr - who turned 44 on Monday - will play with Vincent Trocheck and Reilly Smith, as the Panthers seek more offensive depth after being shut out by the Nashville Predators in their last outing.
Barkov has now missed three games with the issue, but did spend time on the ice prior to the team's morning skate, according to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. The Finn has been solid on Florida's first line, which as a whole has been very productive in 2016 to help the Panthers remain atop the Atlantic Division.
Since Jan. 1
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barkov | 16 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 |
| Huberdeau | 19 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 5 |
| Jagr | 19 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 10 |
Head coach Gerard Gallant said Pirri will likely miss "a few weeks" with an ankle injury, while Howden is believed to have suffered a concussion. There is no timeline for his return.
The Panthers are also undermanned on the blue line as defensemen Willie Mitchell and Erik Gudbranson remain sidelined with lower- and upper-body injuries respectively.