INJURY: Samoskevich expected to be ‘100% very soon’ after injury in St. Louis

FORT LAUDERDALE – Mackie Samoskevich is going to be just fine.

Participating in morning skate on Saturday at Baptist Health IcePlex, the rookie forward won’t suit up for tonight’s battle with the Ottawa Senators, but is expected to be fine after the 4 Nations Face-Off.

After hosting the Senators, the Panthers won’t play another game until Feb. 22.

“He felt really, really good, but we’re sitting on a long break here,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “We need him right and rested on the way out [of the break]. He won’t play tonight -- precautionary-- but we expect him to be 100% very soon.”

Suffering an upper-body injury during Thursday’s thrilling 3-2 win at St. Louis, Samoskevich, who scored in the first period, exited the game in discomfort after his first shift in the second.

Thankfully, the injury looked worse than it actually was.

“He just kind of reached on a hit and stretched something,” Maurice said. “He got his arms too far away from his body and kind of yanked something and it didn’t feel right. Those can be really bad if they’re extreme, but it wasn’t even close to extreme.”

In the midst of his first full season in the NHL, Samoskevich, who the Panthers took with the 24^th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, has been getting better and better every game.

Lacing up his skates in 48 games, he’s posted 17 points (eight goals, nine assists).

After spending much of the season honing his skills on the fourth line, the speedy forward has found instant chemistry with Sam Bennett since being promoted to the second line.

Over 150:30 together at 5-on-5, the Panthers boast a 59.56 xGF% with that duo on the ice.

“We think we’ve got something that we really like,” Maurice said of the combination.

Prior to his injury, Samoskevich had missed three straight games due to an illness.

As it was for those contests, Jonah Gadjovich will slot into the lineup for the Panthers tonight.