The lower-body injury that knocked Jaromir Jagr out of Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Colorado will keep him sidelined for tonight’s tilt against Boston, the Panthers announced.
Jagr, the NHL’s oldest player at 43, briefly took part in the club’s morning skate but apparently didn’t fell well enough to go this evening. The ailment is believed to be minor, and it’s possible the Panthers -- off to a solid 5-3-1 start -- are simply being cautious with their leading scorer.
Still, playing without Jagr against the B’s will be tough.
Florida was already without the services of No. 1 center Aleksander Barkov (broken hand) who, along with Jagr and Jonathan Huberdeau, formed the club’s dynamic top line.
Nick Bjugstad has jumped up to replace Barkov as the top pivot, and it looks like former Bruin Reilly Smith might get a shot at replacing Jagr on the wing.
It’s also possible that Logan Shaw, called up from the AHL earlier this week, will make his big league debut tonight.
Shaw, 23, was a third-round pick in 2011 and has two goals in five games for the Portland Pirates this season.