Panthers coach Paul Maurice gives hilarious injury update on Aleksander Barkov

The Florida Panthers are rolling through the playoffs, currently up 3-0 on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final and poised for their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1996.

And while the likes of Matthew Tkachuk and Sergei Bobrovsky are leading the way on the ice with scintillating performances, head coach Paul Maurice has been keeping people entertained with his charm in front of the mic.

Following the Panthers' narrow 1-0 win over the Hurricanes in Game 3 on Monday, Maurice was asked for an update on captain Aleksander Barkov's status. The forward left the game midway through the first period with what appeared to be a lower body injury.

"He's at a Bar Mitzvah. Yeah, that's what we'll go with. Bar Mitzvah, and he didn't want to disappoint the kids."

When asked to specify what part of Barkov's body the injury occurred, Maurice was equally coy with his follow-up response.

"The Bar Mitzvah? It was on two floors, both floors. It was a big one. Lots of kids."

Barkov left the game after a seemingly innocuous hit by Carolina forward Jack Drury. There appeared to be slight knee-on-knee contact, however, and Barkov could also be seen favouring his left arm as he skated off the ice.

Barkov has registered 12 points in 15 playoff games this year while also operating as the Panthers' top shutdown centre and faceoff expert. In Florida's quadruple-overtime win on Friday, he lined up for an astounding 44 draws.

"He's the best player in the world, so it changes things," defenseman Radko Gudas said when asked about the star forward potentially missing some time.

Luckily for Gudas and the rest of a Florida squad on the verge of a Cup final, Barkov may not miss much action at all as Maurice gave a more serious update on his captain Tuesday afternoon.

The Panthers will look to close out the conference final at home on Wednesday with an improbable series sweep.