Leon Draisaitl landing a dangerous hit on Aleksander Barkov during the second game of the Stanley Cup Finals.Photo credit: Screenshot

The verdict is in for the status of Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov ahead of game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, tonight in Edmonton.

Aleksander Barkov received a dangerous hit from Leon Draisaitl in game two, which forced him to miss the final half of the third period.

If you missed it, watch the hit here:

After concerning report mentioned a possible broken jaw or a concussion, Paul Maurice shared great news for Panthers’ fans this afternoon.

In his daily press conference, he said that Barkov will be in uniform tonight as they try to get their third win of the series.

Per Chris johnston:

“Aleksander Barkov will play Game 3, per Paul Maurice.”

With Barkov in the lineup, the Panthers will have much better odds to contain Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid once again. Even if he’s not at 100%, Barkov proved many times in the playoffs that he’s essential to the team’s success.

If the Panthers end up winning the Stanley Cup, Barkov will certainly be among the top candidates with Sergei Bobrovsky to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of he playoffs.

After the massive hit from Draisaitl, are you surprised about the verdict for Aleksander Barkov’s game 3 status?