Panthers call up goalies Ellis, Brittain with Luongo, Montoya ailing
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers season is suddenly in jeopardy as the health of both starting goaltender Roberto Luongo and backup Al Montoya has recently come into question.
During Florida's 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, both Luongo and Montoya sustained what looked to be serious injuries as the Panthers were forced to play a now-infamous game of goaltender roulette that eventually ended with Luongo returning from a nearby hospital to finish the game.
Luongo (upper body) and Montoya (lower body) are both currently being re-evaluated and should be considered day-to-day, according to Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant.
"We don't think it's as serious as we thought it might have been last night," Gallant said. "To be honest with you, I don't know a whole lot and I don't think either of them are serious, but we'll know a lot more today or tomorrow."
TSN's Bob McKenzie reports that Montoya could miss several weeks.
Luongo, 35, has posted a 23-16-11 record with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage as Florida's starter this season.
In the wake of these injuries, the Panthers have recalled former NHL goaltender Dan Ellis from San Antonio (AHL) and rookie Sam Brittain from Cincinnati (ECHL).
Ellis will start for the Panthers against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night with Brittain serving as his backup.
Acquired exactly one year ago in a deal with Dallas at the trade deadline, Ellis posted a 0-5-0 record with a 4.81 goals-against average and a .836 save percentage in five starts with the Panthers last season.
"Dan Ellis is an NHL goalie," Gallant said. "We know that things didn't go great for him a couple years ago, but hey he's an NHL goalie, he's played a lot of games in this league and he's won games. We're confident in Dan."
Until Luongo or Montoya is able to return, Ellis is expected to get the majority of starts as Florida attempts to catch the Boston Bruins for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
As it stands now, the Panthers trail Boston by two points in the standings with two more games played.
"I'm not going to put that pressure on myself," Ellis said of the team's playoff situation. "I've got to go out there and play. If I worry about the pressure of the team and everything else, that's not going to do me any good."
Ellis, 34, has earned a 22-11-3 record with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage as San Antonio's starter this season.
"I've had the chance to play a lot of games this year down in San Antonio," Ellis said. "We've had a good team and stuff like that. When you get an opportunity like this, you just want to do what you can to help."
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
