The Florida Panthers will be without forward Evan Rodrigues for the remainder of the season after he broke a finger on his right hand in Thursday night’s loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Rodrigues suffered the injury less than a minute into the game. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said afterward the forward will likely be sidelined four-to-six weeks.
The team hasn’t determined if Rodrigues will need surgery. With only about three weeks remaining in the regular season, the timeline effectively ends his campaign.
The Panthers (35-33-3) aren’t mathematically eliminated from playoff contention but face long odds of reaching the postseason.
The injury continues a devastating season for the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions.
Florida’s already missing a significant portion of its core roster. Leading scorer Sam Reinhart remains out, along with captain Aleksander Barkov, who hasn’t played this season.
The injured list also includes Brad Marchand, Jonah Gadjovich, Niko Mikkola, Uvis Balinskis, Cole Schwindt, Anton Lundell and Mackie Samoskevich.
Matthew Tkachuk, who scored and recorded an assist Thursday, has also missed time this season. Seth Jones has dealt with his own injury issues.
The mounting injuries have derailed what the Panthers hoped would be a third consecutive championship run.
