Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad leaves game vs. Canadiens with undisclosed injury

Neither the team or any reporters covering the game have been able to confirm what the injury is that caused Ekblad to leave the game. He was plus-one with 7:16 of ice time.

The Canadiens won the game 5-3.

This is just the fourth game Ekblad has played since he returned from a two-week absence.

In 50 games this season, Ekblad has four goals and 14 assists for 18 points, averaging 21:08 of ice time.

Taken No. 1 overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Ekblad won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year in 2014-15. In 675 career games, Ekblad has 115 goals and 232 assists for 347 points.

A large part of the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring, Ekblad had two goals and six assists for eight points, averaging 23:57 of ice time in 20 games.

The Panthers are 47-24-5 with 99 points, second in the Atlantic Division and two points behind the Boston Bruins for first. Whomever finished second will likely face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs, which the Panthers did last spring, defeating them in five games in the second round.