Panthers’ Barkov back for Game 4 after injury
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida Panthers‘ captain Aleksander Barkov will be back in the lineup for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday after leaving the first period of Game 3 with a lower-body injury.
The Panthers lead their best-of-seven series with Carolina 3-0 and can reach a Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history with a victory in Wednesday’s tilt.
“Ready to roll,” was how Florida coach Paul Maurice classified Barkov following the Panthers’ morning skate, which Barkov was a full participant in. “Freshest guy on the ice,” he said.
There was 7:04 remaining in the first period of Monday’s game when Barkov took a hip check from Carolina forward Nick Drury and immediately retired to Florida’s dressing room. His return was deemed “questionable” from there.
The shorthanded Panthers went on to beat Carolina 1-0. Maurice joked in explanation for Barkov’s absence that the center was “at a bar mitzvah. … He didn’t want to disappoint the kids.” The Panthers’ coach clarified Tuesday that Barkov’s injury wasn’t serious, and his health status would be reevaluated prior to Game 4, when Florida would make a decision on his availability.
Having Barkov centering the Panthers’ top line again is a major boost. He’s tallied four goals and 12 points in 15 playoff games so far and is Florida’s most trusted performer in the faceoff dot.
It’s not just Barkov’s on-ice abilities that impact the Panthers. Maurice stressed Wednesday morning that Barkov’s leadership and attitude are just as critical for Florida, especially when so much is on the line in this postseason.
“He’s possibly uncomfortable with the idea that he’s talked about more than other players,” said Maurice. “He would think [the other] 13 forwards are every bit as important as he is, and he believes it and that’s the way he treats everybody. Most guys, they think that when they get to that elite level, they do have this kind of ego … but he seems to be completely devoid of ego and still pushes himself very hard. I think a lot of the time he’s a driver for his teammates.”
Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger has a fractured right rib and has been placed on the 10-day injured list, manager Craig Counsell told 670 The Score on Wednesday.
Bellinger, a two-time All-Star selection, collided with the center-field wall during Tuesday’s game while tracking a fly ball hit by Houston‘s Yainer Diaz that went for a double and scored Kyle Tucker. He left the game an inning later.
In a corresponding move, the Cubs called up Pete Crow-Armstrong, their top prospect.
Bellinger, in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, is batting .226 with five home runs and 17 RBIs this season.
Crow-Armstrong, 22, made his MLB debut last September and went 0-for-14 with three walks. He’s batting .203 with two home runs, five doubles and seven RBIs at Triple-A Iowa this season.
Field Level Media contributed to this report.
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker has been demoted to the minor leagues after a slow start to the season.
The Cardinals announced before Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks that Walker and left-handed pitcher Zack Thompson were optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Infielder Jose Fermin and left-hander John King were recalled from Memphis in corresponding moves.
Walker, 21, is batting .155 with no home runs, 4 RBIs and a .497 OPS in 20 games this season, his second with the Cardinals. The former top prospect had been mired in a 3-for-27 slump over his past 11 games.
The 6-foot-6 Walker is one of several players struggling offensively for the Cardinals (10-14), who entered Wednesday with just 16 homers as a team — second worst in the majors behind only the Chicago White Sox — and rank in the bottom five in MLB in most major categories, including batting average (.218), runs (82), slugging percentage (.336) and OPS (.637).
Walker entered 2023 as a consensus top-five overall prospect and delivered a solid rookie season, batting .276 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs and a .787 OPS.
The San Francisco Giants scratched left-hander Blake Snell from his scheduled start Wednesday and placed the two-time Cy Young Award winner on the 15-day injured list with a left adductor strain.
Right-hander Landen Roupp was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants, who tabbed right-hander Ryan Walker (2-2, 3.46 ERA) to make his first start of the season Wednesday against the visiting New York Mets.
Walker, 28, worked a scoreless inning of relief in San Francisco’s 5-2 win over New York on Monday.
Snell, 31, is 0-3 with an 11.57 ERA in three starts. He has yet to recapture the form that allowed him to secure his second Cy Young Award while pitching for the San Diego Padres in 2023.
Snell owns a 71-58 record with a 3.30 ERA in 194 career games (all starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays, Padres and Giants.
Roupp, 25, has registered a 4.35 ERA without recording a decision in eight relief appearances this season with San Francisco.
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