Panthers captain Jovanovski to miss ‘at least’ another week

The injury woes continue in Florida.

On Tuesday, Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen said captain Ed Jovanovski would miss another week with a knee injury that’s held him out of the last five contests.

Jovanovski, 36, was handed the “C” prior to the start of the season and played a key role on the Panthers’ defense through the first five games, averaging 16:39 of ice time per night.

But on Jan. 31, Jovo was hurt when he went knee-on-knee with Tampa Bay forward B.J. Crombeen and only played one shift in the third period before leaving the contest.

He hasn’t played since.

Jovanovski visited Dr. John Uribe in Miami a few days after getting hurt — the examination revealed no structural damage — and has since been in a holding pattern of rest and recuperation, with the Panthers curiously listing his injury as “lower body.”

The club said he hasn’t suffered any setbacks, but has also been hesitant to put a timetable on Jovanovski’s return.

“He’s still at least another week away,” Dineen said. “It’s going to be a little bit.”

Speaking of this week — the Panthers have a three game homestand against Washington, Montreal and Tampa Bay. If Jovanovski is to miss all three, it’ll bring his total missed games on the year total to eight, roughly 17 percent of the regular season.