Barkov day-to-day with lower-body injury

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, interim head coach Andrew Brunette announced, per Jameson Olive of the team's website.

Florida ruled him out shortly ahead of Saturday's clash versus the Carolina Hurricanes when Barkov suffered a flare-up before puck drop.

The Panthers and Hurricanes entered Saturday's clash as the top two teams in the NHL. Florida ultimately captured a 5-2 victory without its top player.

Barkov is off to a tremendous start in 2021-22, notching 12 points in 10 games while averaging over 22 minutes per night.