Ekblad (undisclosed) will be ready to play in Game 1 versus Tampa Bay on Sunday, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site,
Ekblad sat out Tuesday's season finale versus Toronto. He struggled this season after returning from offseason shoulder surgery, scoring only four times and adding 14 helpers in 51 appearances.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Will be ready for Game 1
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Ekblad (undisclosed) won't play in Tuesday's regular-season finale against Toronto, but he'll be ready to rock for Game 1 of Florida's upcoming first-round playoff series, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Ekblad will return to his usual top-four role once postseason play gets underway. He's picked up just 18 points through 51 games in what's been a disappointing season from an offensive standpoint for the 28-year-old defender.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Likely out until playoffs
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Ekblad (undisclosed) is likely to miss the rest of the regular season, David Dwork of The Hockey News reports.
Even though Ekblad is slated to sit out the final five games of the 2023-24 campaign, he is projected to be available for Florida's playoff opener. Ekblad is poised to finish the regular season with four goals, 18 points, 98 shots on net, 59 blocked shots and 85 hits in 51 appearances.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Out Thursday
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Ekblad (undisclosed) will miss Thursday's game against the Senators.
The specific nature and severity of Ekblad's injury is currently unknown, but even if he's sidelined for an extended stretch, coach Paul Maurice fully expects the veteran defender to be ready for the first game of Florida's first-round playoff series. It's been somewhat of a dissapointing season for Ekblad from an offensive standpoint, as he's only picked up 18 points through 51 games, but he's recorded an admirable plus-27 rating over that stretch as a key fixture on the Panthers' blue line.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Exits Tuesday's contest
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Ekblad (undisclosed) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Canadiens, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.
Ekblad saw just 7:16 of ice time in this contest. He recently returned from a lower-body injury that cost him seven contests, but the Panthers didn't elaborate on why he exited Tuesday's game. If he can't play Thursday versus the Senators, Josh Mahura or Tobias Bjornfot would draw into the lineup.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Heavy workload in return
Rotowire
Ekblad (lower body) failed to record a point in 22:13 of ice time during Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.
Returning from a seven-game absence caused by a collision with Vladimir Tarasenko, Ekblad saw his usual workload and was leaned on heavily on the penalty kill, seeing 7:47 of ice time with Florida down a man. It's been a tough season overall for the 28-year-old blueliner, who has only four goals and 17 points in 48 games, but with the Panthers having already clinched a playoff spot, Ekblad will try to use the final weeks of the regular season to regain his top form.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Returning to action Thursday
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Ekblad (lower body) will be back in the lineup versus the Islanders on Thursday, according to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now.
Ekblad sat out seven games with the injury. Ekblad missed the first 16 games of the season, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and has struggled offensively. The 28-year-old blueliner has only four goals and 17 points in 47 games. If he is unable to pick up the pace, he will miss hitting double digits in goals for only the second time in 10 years. Ekblad will line up alongside Gustav Forsling on the blue line and should see some second-unit power-play time.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Inching closer to return
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Ekblad (lower body) is "close" to returning, but coach Paul Maurice wants the defender to log at least two "heavy practices" before rejoining the lineup, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Ekblad will miss a seventh straight contest Tuesday against Boston, but it sounds like he could be ready to return sooner rather than later. The 28-year-old vet has had a down year from an offensive standpoint, picking up just 17 points through 47 contests.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Set to miss at least two weeks
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Ekblad (lower body) will be unavailable for at least two weeks and he'll be considered day-to-day afterward, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.
Ekblad was injured in a collision with teammate Vladimir Tarasenko in Saturday's 5-1 win over Calgary. The 28-year-old Ekblad has four goals, 17 points, 94 shots on net, 55 blocked shots and 78 hits in 47 games this season. Josh Mahura is expected to draw into the lineup during Ekblad's absence, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson will slot in alongside Gustav Forsling.
Ekblad won't return to Saturday's game against Calgary due to a lower-body injury.
Ekblad logged just 5:10 of ice time versus the Flames. He sustained the injury when he collided with a teammate, according to Colby Guy of FloridaHockeyNow.com. Ekblad entered Saturday's action with four goals, 17 points, 44 PIM, 76 hits and 55 blocks in 46 appearances in 2023-24. Tobias Bjornfot, who was claimed off waivers from Vegas on Friday, might draw into the lineup Tuesday versus Dallas if Ekblad isn't available.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Set to return Tuesday
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Ekblad (lower body) is expected to be in the lineup versus the Senators on Tuesday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Ekblad has been struggling to produce offensively of late, as he has managed just one point in his last nine outings while adding 25 shots on goal, 15 hits and 12 blocked shots. The blueliner's return to action will likely lead to Josh Mahura getting scratched Tuesday.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Not playing Saturday
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Ekblad (lower body) won't play Saturday versus the Lightning, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.
Ekblad, who is considered day-to-day, will be replaced in the lineup by Josh Mahura. The 28-year-old Ekblad has three goals, 14 points, 79 shots on net, 45 blocked shots and 60 hits across 37 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Takes seven shots
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Ekblad recorded seven shots against Washington on Thursday.
Despite Ekblad putting up a season-high seven shots, he remains stuck in a six-game pointless streak dating back to Jan. 19 versus Minnesota. At his current pace, the defenseman could record his second-lowest point total over the seven campaigns.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Drops four even-strength points
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Ekblad earned a goal, three assists, and a plus-4 rating in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Wild.
Ekblad was a man on a mission in this home clash, but the Wild manufactured five power-play goals, plus an empty-net tally, to counter the defenseman's fiery attack. This was only the second multi-point game from Ekblad this season, and all of his offensive magic happened during 5-on-5 play. Ekblad has been downgraded to the No. 2 power-play unit, resulting in him netting just three man-advantage points -- with all of them being assists -- so far in 2023-24. Of course, a shoulder injury that required surgery caused Ekblad to get off to a late start to the campaign, and a minor lower-body issue crept up in December as well, so the Panthers are doing their part to manage the star blueliner's workload.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Picks up power-play helper
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Ekblad notched a power-play assist, four shots on goal and four PIM in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Golden Knights.
Ekblad has started to find his way on offense with a goal, three assists and 10 shots on net over the last five games. The defenseman missed the start of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery. He's up to eight points, 44 shots, 26 blocked shots, 25 hits, 26 PIM and a plus-6 rating through 21 appearances. Ekblad continues to play on the top pairing and second power-play unit.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Good to go
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Ekblad (lower body) will return to the lineup Monday against Calgary, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.
Ekblad is slated to be back on the top pairing and second power-play unit Monday after sitting out Saturday's 5-1 win over Edmonton. He has picked up four assists, 28 shots on goal, 21 blocked shots and 14 hits across 13 outings this campaign. Ekblad's return is expected to make Josh Mahura a healthy scratch.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Won't play Saturday
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Ekblad (lower body) is out for Saturday's game against Edmonton, Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network reports.
While Ekblad's injury was deemed minor after he left Thursday's game in Vancouver, it'll keep him sidelined Saturday against the Oilers. The 27-year-old blueliner has four assists and a plus-6 rating through 13 games this season. Josh Mahura will slot back into the lineup in Ekblad's absence.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Dealing with lower-body injury
Rotowire
Ekblad exited Thursday's game versus the Canucks due to a lower-body injury, Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now reports.
Ekblad's injury could be "less than day-to-day," per head coach Paul Maurice, but the team took him out of Thursday's game since they dressed seven defensemen. This sounds like a cautionary move, so Ekblad should be considered questionable to play Saturday in Edmonton.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Nabs first points Tuesday
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Ekblad picked up an assist while adding three shots on net, two blocked shots, two hits, two PIM and a plus-1 rating in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs.
The point was his first in six games since making his belated season debut following summer shoulder surgery. Ekblad is coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued campaign in which he managed only 38 points in 71 games, but even if he's able to stay healthy for the rest of this season, he could have trouble returning to the near point-per-game pace he produced in 2021-22 without regaining his spot on the top power-play unit from Brandon Montour.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Removed from injured reserve
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Ekblad (shoulder) has been taken off injured reserve ahead of Friday's matchup with Anaheim, per the NHL media site.
Ekblad looks set to make his season debut against the Ducks. Last season, the Ontario native managed 14 goals and 24 helpers, a significant drop in production from 2021-22 when he racked up 57 points. Ekblad should immediately see minutes with the man advantage after recording 19 of his 38 points last year on the power play.
