Forward does not return for 2nd period against Hurricanes after playing 3:37 in 1st
© Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images
RALEIGH, N.C. – Eetu Luostarinen did not return to the Florida Panthers’ 5-3 Game 5 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final after the first period.
The forward played a total of 3:37 in the game as the defending champion Panthers clinched their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Luostarinen was involved in two moments in the first period in which he could have been injured. He was the recipient of a William Carrier cross check against the boards at 11:21 of the first period, in which Carrier’s stick exploded with the force of the hit.
Luostarinen played two shifts after that penalty.
He also missed a hit on Mark Jankowski and went hard into the boards with about 2:45 remaining in the first period. The forward stumbled as he tried to get up and headed for the bench; he did not play the rest of the period.
Luostarinen has been part of a dynamic third line for the Panthers, which at times has been their best, alongside Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand. Luostarinen has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 17 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
FLA vs. CAR | EDM vs. DAL
FLA vs. TOR | CAR vs. WSH | DAL vs. WPG | EDM vs. VGK
OTT vs. TOR | FLA vs. TBL | MTL vs. WSH | NJD vs. CAR
STL vs. WPG | COL vs. DAL | MIN vs. VGK | EDM vs. LAK
