Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad suffers season-ending injury

The Florida Panthers suffered some more bad news losing star defenseman Aaron Ekblad for the rest of the season due to injury.

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will likely miss games until Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as confirmed by head coach Paul Maurice on Thursday. Ekblad sustained an undisclosed injury during Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens.

The injury occurred after a skirmish with Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky towards the end of the first period. Ekblad and Slafkovsky fell to the ice tangled up, and Ekblad did not return to play in the second period.

Ekblad, 28, has accumulated 18 points (four goals and 14 assists) in 50 games this season. Despite his absence, the Florida Panthers have secured their playoff berth and currently hold the second position in the Atlantic Division with 99 points.

The Panthers have also suffered the loss of 40-goal scorer Carter Verhaeghe to injury recently, adding to their challenges.

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