Aleksander Barkov was on the ice getting some work in before Panthers morning skate ahead of a date with the Canucks on Thursday.

The Florida Panthers may get injured captain Aleksander Barkov back a bit quicker than expected. And if nothing else, he’s still on track to play when the Stanley Cup champions go to his native Finland for a pair of games next month.

Entering Saturday's contents against the Buffalo Sabres, which the Panthers ended up losing 5-2, head coach Paul Maurice provided a relatively positive, albeit fuzzy, update on Barkov's injury.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is expected to be sidelined two to three weeks with a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice announced Saturday.

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice isn't ready to jump to conclusions following one loss on how his defending Stanley Cup champions will hold up with captain Aleksander Barkov expected to miss between two and three weeks with a lower body injury.

Captain Aleksander Barkov suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury following a collision with Tim Stutzle during a defensive play in the game’s final minutes and with only 70 seconds left to play. Unable to put any weight on his right leg, Barkov needed help getting off the ice, leading to concerns about the severity of his injury.

The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers lost captain Aleksander Barkov to an injury late in the third period of their 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left with 1:10 remaining after crashing into the end boards against the Senators. He was set to undergo testing to determine the extend of the injury.