BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss two to three weeks with a lower-body injury, coach Paul Maurice said Saturday.
Maurice said he’s optimistic Barkov will return in time for — if not sooner than — the Panthers’ two NHL Global Series games against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 1- 2, which are being held in the center's hometown of Tampere, Finland.
“It may take that amount of time, but we think he should be in that window,” Maurice said following the Panthers' morning skate before their game at Buffalo.
Barkov was hurt with 70 seconds left in a 3-1 loss at Ottawa on Thursday, when he was attempting to prevent Tim Stutzle from scoring an empty-net goal. He and the Senators forward got tangled up, with Barkov crashing feet first into the end boards.
Grimacing in pain, Barkov needed about a minute before he could get to his feet, and then he required help from teammates Evan Rodrigues and Uvis Balinskis to get off the ice.
Maurice also said Saturday that forward Matthew Tkachuk would not play against Buffalo because of an illness.
Defenseman Adam Boqvist is scheduled to return after missing one game. He will be wearing protective head gear after being struck in the face by a puck in the defending Stanley Cup champion’s season-opening 6-4 win over Boston on Tuesday.
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Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) is unable to prevent Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle (18) from scoring on the empty net during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) is helped off the ice by teammates after crashing into the boards with Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle, not shown, during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury
LONDON (AP) — Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who for decades championed Scotland’s independence from the U.K., has died. He was 69.
Salmond, who was a divisive figure in British politics and who as the then leader of the Scottish National Party took Scotland to the brink of independence in a 2014 referendum, died in North Macedonia after delivering a speech, according to British media.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the Labour Party calling him a “monumental figure" of both Scottish and British politics.
“He leaves behind a lasting legacy,” Starmer said. “As first minister of Scotland, he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented.”
Salmond served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014, and was leader of the Scottish National Party on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000, and from 2004 to 2014. Salmond, as then leader of the Scottish National Party, led the independence campaign in the referendum in 2014, but lost, gaining 45% of the vote. Salmond resigned from the SNP in 2018 in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.
He subsequently formed a new party called Alba — the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland — and was acquitted of the charges.
The current SNP first minister, John Swinney, said that he was "deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death" of Salmond.
“Over many years, Alex made an enormous contribution to political life, not just within Scotland, but across the U.K. and beyond," he said. “He took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an independent country.”
Former U.K. Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Salmond was a “huge figure in our politics.”
"While I disagreed with him on the constitutional question, there was no denying his skill in debate or his passion for politics," Sunak said on X. "May he rest in peace.”
FILE - Alex Salmond holds his honorary degree awarded to him by Glasgow University on April 4, 2021. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)
FILE - Queen Elizabeth II meets Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond at Holyroodhouse on May 24, 2007. (David Cheskin/PA via AP)
FILE - Alex Salmond takes some tennis shots during a tour of Stirling University's new sports facilities on April 27, 2007. (David Cheskin/PA via AP)
FILE - Alex Salmond speaks during a debate following the Government's defeat on their fishing policy on Dec. 19, 1995. (PA via AP, File)
FILE - Alex Salmond speaks to the media on College Green, Westminster, London on Oct. 11, 2022. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
FILE - Alex Salmond poses for a photo during a visit to the Scotsman Lounge in Edinburgh on the campaign trail for the Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 3, 2021. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
File photo dated 18/03/07 of FILE - Alex Salmond addresses the Scottish National Party (SNP) conference at Glasgow Science Centre on March 18, 2007. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)
FILE - Alex Salmond speaks at the SNP conference in Glasgow on Oct. 14, 2016. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
File photo dated 14/04/05 of FILE - Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party is photographed on April 14, 2005. (Maurice McDonald/PA via AP)
FILE - Alex Salmond stands at Stirling Castle to mark the start of the party's Mid Scotland and Fife campaign, ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary election on April 13, 2021 (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
FILE - Alex Salmond, former Scotland first minister, attends an Alba party meeting in Dundee, Scotland, on April 19, 2022. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP, File)
