Panthers’ Ekblad taken off ice on stretcher with leg injury

DALLAS — Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a left leg injury midway through the second period against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

An aircast was applied to Ekblad’s left leg. Minutes earlier, Ekblad got caught up with Stars defenseman Esa Lindell in the corner following a hit from Lindell.

Ekblad has 11 goals this season, tied for the most among NHL defensemen. He scored the winning goal in overtime Saturday night against the Stars.

The Panthers were already playing their third straight game without captain Aleksander Barkov, sidelined with a lower body injury, and Patric Hornqvist, who is expected to miss a week with an undisclosed injury.


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