Panthers recall goaltender Cooper Black from AHL Charlotte Checkers

The Florida Panthers recalled goaltender Cooper Black from the Charlotte Checkers this morning, and the timing is hard to ignore.

Florida opens a road trip Wednesday night in Ottawa. Then it's straight to Pittsburgh on Thursday for the back end of a back-to-back.

The announcement came with no explanation attached. No injury note, no word from Paul Maurice, nothing beyond a graphic and a link.

So take it at face value. Florida now has three goalies on hand for two games in two nights away from home.

Jacob Markstrom has handled the bigger share of the crease so far. He's appeared in 6 games with a .897 save percentage.

Akira Schmid hasn't been the answer behind him. The 26-year-old sits at .878 through 4 appearances, a number that wouldn't hold a backup job in most buildings.

And Markstrom is 36. Running a veteran that age through both halves of a back-to-back in October would be an odd way to start a long season.

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Barkov and Marchand injuries leave Panthers no margin in goal

The group in front of the crease isn't whole either. Aleksander Barkov is on IR with a lower-body injury and expected out until at least Nov 27.

Brad Marchand is there too, with a leg injury that should keep him out until at least Nov 21. Radko Gudas is listed day-to-day.

Somehow, Florida keeps winning. A 5-2-2 record, three straight wins and an 8-3 romp past Seattle on Saturday night.

Matthew Tkachuk has been the engine. He's up to 14 points through 9 games, with 7 of his assists coming on the power play.

His brother is finishing what he starts. Brady Tkachuk has scored 6 goals over his last 5 games.

Here's the problem. Florida's offense is covering for its goaltending right now, and keeping Schmid as the unquestioned No. 2 after this start is a bad idea.

A third goalie on a road trip works like a spare key under the doormat. You hope you never touch it, but you sleep better knowing it's there.

Ottawa won't make Wednesday easy. It's 6-3-0 and level with Florida at 12 points, though it dropped its last outing 3-1 in Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh looks softer on paper at 3-6-1, losers of four straight. Neither team has seen Florida yet this season.

So does Maurice hand the Thursday start to a goalie fresh off the bus from Charlotte?

Maybe Black never sees the ice this week. But if Schmid's number doesn't climb soon, the conversation around Florida's crease is going to get a lot louder.

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