Florida Panthers place goaltender Roberto Luongo on injured reserve
The Florida Panthers have placed Roberto Luongo on the IR after he suffered a right knee injury on Saturday.
Last season, the Florida Panthers had trouble keeping their goalies healthy. Both Roberto Luongo and James Reimer missed time due to injuries. The Panthers bad luck has carried over to this season, as Luongo has been placed on the injured reserve.
During Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a shootout, Luongo had to leave the game with an apparent injury. It occurred when he got caught with his teammates. Forward Frank Vatrano inadvertently landed on Luongo’s extended right leg while he was down.
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The Panthers are optimistic he didn’t suffer an injury that will keep him out long-term. They’re hopeful it’s nothing more than a sprain. To replace Luongo on the roster, the Panthers have called up goaltender Michael Hutchinson. He has NHL experience, as he has made 102 appearances over five seasons. Hutchinson last played for the Winnipeg Jets.
During his career, Hutchinson has posted a .907 save percentage with a GAA of 2.65. He spent most of the 2017-18 season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose after the Jets stuck with the goaltending tandem of Connor Hellebuyck and Steve Mason.
He will serve as the backup as the Panthers will likely turn to Reimer to make most of the starts moving forward. They won’t necessarily need a backup until Oct. 19, when they have their next set of games on consecutive nights. That set is against the Washington Capitals (on the road) and the Detroit Red Wings (at home).
Also, the Panthers have an additional set of games on back-to-back evenings on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, when they travel to face the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers. Reimer stopped 15 of the 16 shots he saw in relief of Luongo, though he did concede the game-winning goal in the shootout.
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The Panthers schedule is beneficial to them because they probably won’t need a backup goalie before Luongo returns. But even if they do, Hutchinson is a serviceable backup who can give them a few games while Luongo recovers. The Panthers expect to know more about his injury after some tests on Monday.