Aaron Ekblad leaves game against the Ducks after suffering what looks to be a serious injury
The Florida Panthers looked to be among the favourites to do some real damage in the postseason, and that's even before they potentially add Claude Giroux to the fold ahead of the trade deadline.
Unfortunately, however, the Panthers are not going into the home stretch without facing some adversity, as defenseman Aaron Ekblad left Friday's game in Anaheim, unable to put any weight on right leg.
Ekblad took an awkward spill at the start of the first period, appearing to get his leg caught up between two other bodies as he went down. You can see the replay here:
Ekblad suffered a season ending injury after just 35 games last season on a fall that looked similar to this one. You never like to see a player get injured and you certainly hope that it wasn't as bad as it looked for Ekblad's sake.
This would be a devastating loss for the Panthers if Ekblad's injury is a serious one. The addition of Ben Chiarot is starting to look like a really important one. You have to wonder whether or not the Panthers will look to add another defender if the prognosis on Ekblad is bad.
Ekblad was in the midst of a career year with the Panthers, amassing 15 goals and 57 points in 60 games this season.
