Panthers lose Markstrom for 10-14 days, call up Cooper Black

Jacob Markstrom is out 10-14 days with an upper-body injury, which means Akira Schmid is Florida's starter for the next couple of weeks and Cooper Black just got the call that actually matters.

Markstrom left Monday's practice early after taking a puck off his gear. Paul Maurice confirmed Tuesday it's an upper-body injury with a 10-to-14-day timeline. That's four or five starts, minimum, right as the Panthers open a four-game road trip in Ottawa.

This isn't a speed bump. It's a real test of the goaltending depth Florida built this summer.

Black was recalled from Charlotte on Tuesday, his second call-up this month (he was up October 13-16 and didn't play). He's 2-1-0 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in three AHL starts, including a 33-save win Saturday. Last season he posted a career-high 42 games for Charlotte at 25-13-4, 2.47 GAA, .903 SV%.

Maurice: "This is the progression of how these guys earn their opportunity to break in the league." Black's NHL debut is expected sometime on this road trip, which kicks off tonight in Ottawa.

Schmid holds the net in the meantime. Maurice says he's handled the pressure of a starting job before and will again.

One piece of good news buried in the same notebook: Radko Gudas, out since October 12 with a lower-body injury, is good to go and returns to the blue line tonight against the Senators.

Ferda take: Florida's whole bet behind the bench this year is that two capable goalies beat one great one and one disaster. This is the stretch that tests it. Schmid's been fine, not great, and now he's the guy for two-plus weeks with a rookie behind him who's never played an NHL minute.

Gudas back on the blue line helps the goalies more than anyone wants to admit. A healthy, physical third pair settles down exactly the kind of game a green goalie can lose by himself.

The lineup survives one bad week. It needs to find out fast whether Black can be trusted for a second one.