This is a brutal setback for a player once seen as a major piece of Carolina’s future. Brooks’ injury history is tough to ignore. He first tore his ACL in November 2023 during his final season with the Texas Longhorns, cutting short a breakout campaign where he racked up 1,139 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in just 10 games.

After losing Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on the road, the defending Stanley Cup champions will need that advantage when series against the Toronto Maple Leafs shifts to Florida for Game 3 on Friday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

The Panthers have excelled in Sunrise this season and have been strong at home in the playoffs, so they hope two games at home can help them even the series with the Maple Leafs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken a 2-0 series lead over the Florida Panthers with a 4-3 win in Game 2. A back-and-forth contest saw the Panthers take early leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but goals from William Nylander and Max Domi in the second period gave the Leafs their first lead of the night.