Florida Panthers forward Patric Hornqvist is injured and considered day to day after leaving tonight’s game early. Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Nikita Zadorov delivered a hit to Hornqvist, causing him to leave and not return.
Coach Q says we’ll know more on Patric Hornqvist tomorrow, but that he is day-to-day after the hit tonight that saw him leave the game. #FLAvsCHI
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 26, 2021
Forward Patric Hornqvist Injured, Considered Day to Day
Hornqvist is having a fantastic bounceback season in Florida. After being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hornqvist set out to prove everyone wrong. Approaching a point per game pace, he’s been lighting it up with the Panthers. In 32 games, he’s scored 12 times and registered 13 assists, totaling 25 points. He’s third on the team in points, second in goals, and fifth in assists. His Corsi is a 55.4%, with a relative Corsi of 3.9 – the fifth highest out of the forwards. In his 13 year career, Hornqvist has played 802 games, lighting the lamp 250 times, and dishing out 255 assists, for 505 points.
Looking Forward
With Patric Hornqvist injured, the Panthers lose a significant chunk of their offence. However, with players like Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe having breakout seasons, their offense is much deeper than one player. Add in Jonathan Huberdeau, and this Central Divsion team is chomping at the bit to score. While losing Hornqvist is a big deal, other Panthers can pick up the slack.
Florida starts a mini series against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. With Dallas currently at seventh place in the Central, Florida needs to win these next few games. Only three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, the Panthers could give themselves a boost in the standings with wins. The Panthers will be hungry for a win after losing two games to the Blackhawks, including a scoreless game tonight. While it is not desperation, a three game skid is never a good way to try to take first place. Florida’s offence will have to put in some serious work missing Hornqvist if they want to win.
