Eetu Luostarinen is the latest Florida Panthers player to miss time due to injury. Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
Center Eetu Luostarinen will miss time for the Florida Panthers due to burns sustained in an accident while barbecuing, coach Paul Maurice told reporters Wednesday.
Luostarinen is week to week, Maurice said.
His injury is the second significant off-ice one for an NHL player over the past week. New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes is out at least eight weeks while recovering from surgery Saturday to repair a finger that was injured in a freak accident during a team dinner in Chicago.
Earlier this month, the Buffalo Sabres’ Jiri Kulich and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Filip Hållander were ruled out for lengthy periods due to treatment for blood clots.
The Panthers have been particularly hard hit by injuries in a quest to become the first NHL team to win three consecutive titles since the New York Islanders won the Stanley Cup four times in a row in the early 1980s.
Florida has played the entire season without its two top forwards, captain Alexander Barkov and winger Matthew Tkachuk. Barkov, who is recovering from knee surgery and might not return until next season, and Tkachuk, who could return in December from injuries sustained in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last February, are the most notable among injured Panthers. However, the team is so banged up that it has been playing its regular third line, of which Luostarinen was a part, as the top line until he missed a game Monday against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Panthers also learned Wednesday that depth forward Cole Schwindt will miss two to three months recovering from surgery to repair a broken bone in his arm.
Nov 23, 2025
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