Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas. Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Panthers’ Radko Gudas leaves Game 2 with injury

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Anthony Trudeau | Last updated 6/5/23

Florida Panthers’ defenseman Radko Gudas did not return to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights because of an injury he sustained in the first period, the team confirmed on Monday.

Update: Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas will not return to tonight’s game.
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 6, 2023

Gudas groggily went to the locker room after being leveled by Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev seven minutes into the contest.

Radko Gudas heads to the room following a hit from Ivan Barbashev. pic.twitter.com/3VCJjePOz2
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 6, 2023

Without Gudas, things unraveled quickly for Florida. Only seconds later, Jonathan Marchessault got the Golden Knights off the mark with his second tally this series. The veteran winger now has 10 goals in his last 11 games.

Alec Martinez buried a wrister near the end of the first frame before Nic Roy and Brett Howden scored in the second period to open up a 4-0 lead for the Western Conference champions.

Florida has had no answer for the Golden Knights’ multifaceted offense through two games, the first of which ended in a 5-2 Vegas victory, and Panthers’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has seemingly come back down to Earth.

The Panthers still have six defensemen available; they dressed seventh blueliner Casey Fitzgerald instead of fourth-liner Zac Dalpe.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: