Sasha Barkov Out for Florida Panthers Due to Illness

SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers were once again forced to play down a man on Thursday night as captain Sasha Barkov was out with an undisclosed illness.

Barkov practiced with the team on Wednesday but did not take part in the optional morning skate at FLA Live Arena.

He was not alone, however, as only about five skated in the morning.

This was the first game missed by Barkov this season.

Florida is stuck at 20 roster players due to salary cap issues with coach Paul Maurice saying in the preseason that teams were going to have to get used to playing shorthanded at times.

The Panthers also played with 17 skaters on Oct. 17 at Boston when Brandon Montour was out.

“These new cap constraints are coming to every team,” Maurice said. “We’re all going to have to learn how to play with 19. It’s just going to be a normal operating routine.

“There have been a bunch of teams who have had to do it consistently. We’ll just have to deal with it. It’s not a big deal. Players get used to it, we all get used to it.”

PANTHERS ON DECK

CALGARY FLAMES AT FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
• Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise
• TV: Bally Sports Florida; NHL Network
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
• Last season: Split 1-1
• All-time regular season series: Calgary leads 22-11-3, 3 ties