Barkov suffers a devastating injury late in tonight's loss to the Senators

This just in, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov suffered what appeared to be a devastating leg or foot injury late in tonight's loss to the Ottawa Senators.

With the Panthers' net empty, Barkov was chasing down a loose puck in the defensive end and ended up getting tangled up with Sens' forward Tim Stutzle. The pair both went down to the ice as Stutzle managed to guide the puck into the open cage and then crashed into the end boards together. Stutzle sprung back up with no apparent effects, but Barkov had to be helped off the ice by his teammates. It appeared that Barkov was not able to put any weight on his right foot.

Check it out:

Head coach Paul Maurice had a brief update on his captain after the game, saying that he'll be checked out by doctors this evening... and probably tomorrow.

From Maurice:

Just an absolutely brutal break for the Panthers' captain.

If Barkov is out for any significant length of time it would be devastating for the defending Stanley Cup champions.