Florida Panthers' Josh Mahura sent to dressing room after brutal slapshot to the face

The Florida Panthers may have to find a replacement defenseman for Game 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a game filled with injuries, Josh Mahura was sent down the tunnel after receiving a slapshot from the point by William Nylander to the face.

Mahura was trying to clear the back of the net as Alex Kerfoot was pressuring Sergei Bobrovsky. Mahura bent down to check Kerfoot out of the way but didn't see the oncoming shot that was well wide of the net. The puck hit Mahura square in the face, drawing blood and causing him intense pain as he fell to the ground.

The injury was the second of the game, with the Maple Leafs' Matthew Knies having left the game earlier after a hit by Sam Bennett. It was a tough blow for Mahura and the Florida Panthers, who were already facing an uphill battle against a strong Maple Leafs team.

Mahura's absence from the game was noticeable, with the Panthers struggling to maintain the same level of energy without him. He has been a key player for the team so far in the playoffs, providing a solid presence on the blue line and contributing to their defensive efforts.

After the incident, the referees even stopped and checked if there had been high sticking on the play. Although they ruled that there wasn't, it showed the steps the NHL to ensure player safety. Now, all that the players need are face masks to protect them from those high-risk shots.

Florida Panthers need to regroup in absence of Josh Mahura

While Mahura receives treatment and recovers from his injury, the Panthers will need to regroup and focus on the remainder of the game against the Maple Leafs. They'll need to rely on their depth and resilience to overcome the absence of one of their key blue liners.

As far as possible replacements for Josh Mahura, there aren't many that will serve the same purpose that he did. The Florida Panthers have been healthy scratching Casey Fitzgerald and Michael Benning all series. Neither of those two players is a left defenseman like Josh Mahura, and their inclusion could create spacing and structural issues.