Aaron Ekblad Breaks his Silence on Major Injury Scare Ahead of Crucial Game 3

The Florida Panthers picked up a dramatic victory in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Brad Marchand overtime winner enough to tie this series up at 1-1 as things shift back to Florida for two pivotal games that could change the course of this entire series.

Ahead of Game 3 on Monday night, some Panthers fans were worried about star defenseman Aaron Ekblad after he suffered what appeared to be a hand injury in the Game 2 thriller.

However, he was reportedly on the ice for practice on Sunday, which is a good sign for Florida, and now, he's commented on the injury, stating simply that it was a stinger and that he should be all good to go for Game 3.

That's a major break for Ekblad and the Panthers, as their star veteran has been a key for their success getting this far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as he is tied with Nate Schmidt for points by Panthers defenseman in the post-season thus far, while contributing significantly in other ways as well.

Simply put, for the Panthers to win this series, they need Ekblad on the ice, so the confidence he has ahead of Game 3 is crucial to their success, and if he can indeed play through the hand injury, the Panthers have an opportunity to turn this series on its head on home ice, but after two OT thrillers thus far, this series is still anyone's game.