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Roberto Luongo out for ‘extended period’ as Panthers turn to Reimer

Dave DiNapoli, Roberto Luongo

Florida Panthers head athletic trainer Dave DiNapoli attends to goalie Roberto Luongo (1) after a play during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Sunrise, Fla. Luongo had to be helped off the ice and wasn’t able to put any weight on the leg. He was replaced by James Reimer. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

AP

A forgettable start to the season got even worse for the Florida Panthers when goaltender Roberto Luongo went down during Monday night’s loss to the New York Islanders. Head coach Bob Boughner announced Wednesday morning that the netminder is will miss an “extended period of time” with a lower-body injury. He did not give a specific timetable.

“Whether that’s three weeks, four weeks, five weeks, we’re going to see how his rehab goes, that kind of thing,” he said via the Sun-Sentinel. “Definitely out for a while.”

This is the second injury that’s sidelined Luongo this season after he missed six games while nursing a hand injury in October. James Reimer will once again step in with Harri Sateri recalled to back up. Reimer has made 12 starts this season and posted a .901 even strength save percentage, via Corsica.

“This is a pretty big loss for us. [Luongo’s] been awesome for his whole career with Florida,” Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov told Pro Hockey Talk on Tuesday. “Of course it kind of sucks, but that’s the luxury of having James Reimer as a second goalie for us. That’s a pretty good thing that we have two goalies that can be first goalies in the league.”

The Panthers are currently tied for the third-fewest points in the NHL with 24 and wrap up a homestand later this week before hitting the road for a five-game trip. They’ll also be facing a pair of back-to-backs over the next three weeks, and since Luongo won’t be returning any time soon it could be Sateri making his NHL at some point, or maybe general manager Dale Tallon dips back into the market for an option other than the 27-year-old Finn.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.