Aleksander Barkov Injured After Scott Mayfield's Knee-On-Knee Hit

On Tuesday night, New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield threw a knee-on-knee hit on Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov. Following it, Barkov stayed down on the ice and eventually left the contest injured with the help of Anthony Duclair and a trainer.

Following the play, Mayfield received a five-minute major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct. When looking at the play, it's pretty easy to understand why.

If this knocks Barkov out of action for a long period of time, it would hurt the Panthers immensely. He's their most important player due to his elite two-way play and of course their captain. In 15 games this season, he has nine goals and 17 points. He currently leads the team with these two statistics, too.

There is a sense of optimism, though, as teammate Carter Verhaeghe told reporters following the game that Barkov was walking on his own. Here's to hoping this is a positive sign that the superstar center will be okay very soon.

As for Mayfield, do you feel that his kneeing penalty warrants a suspension? Just a few days ago, Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki avoided any further discipline after he ended Dmitrij Jaskin's season on the same kind of play. Perhaps NHL Player Safety will elect to be lenient with Mayfield, too.