Why Panthers Pulled Jacob Markstrom From Goalie for Akira Schmid

The Florida Panthers pulled starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom after the first period of Monday's 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Akira Schmid entered in relief to start the second period after Markstrom stopped nine of 11 shots. Markstrom did not return to the bench, leading to the assumption that his departure was due to an injury rather than a performance-based decision.

Billy Heyen notes that Markstrom's potential absence creates significant complications as Florida faces a back-to-back game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Panthers are already managing injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand following the offseason departure of former starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to Toronto.