The Florida Panthers will play without their captain in Wednesday`s important game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Center Aleksander Barkov is confirmed to be out for the game, as reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Barkov briefly left the game against the Montreal Canadiens but returned, despite the Panthers losing 3-2 in overtime.
The cause of his injury remains unclear.
The 29-year-old is having another excellent season for the Panthers, with 19 goals and 67 points in 64 games, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game.
He joins other injured Panthers players, Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad, as the team competes with the Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
The game between Florida and Toronto is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
