Niko Mikkola injured after slamming face first into the ice.

The Florida Panthers may be dealing with yet another injury.

After a devastating start to the season on the injury front, which has included the long term loss of players like captain Aleksander Barkov and star forward Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers were given another injury scare on Saturday during their contest against the Buffalo Sabres.

The injury occured when the Panthers defenseman was engaged in a race to the puck against young Sabres forward Tyson Kozak, with both men battling back and forth for position as they closed in on the puck. The end result was the two men getting tangled up and crashing to the ice and into the corner boards, with Mikkola's face getting by far the worst of the impact.

Mikkola's head came crashing down with his face smacking the ice in sickening fashion, and to make matters worse he had no way of protecting himself due to being tied up with Kozak. Both of Mikkola's arms were at his sides as his unprotected face smacked the ice, but miraculously he was able to get back up under his own power.

It wouldn't be long before Mikkola headed back into the locker room however, although it is unclear if he left of his own accord of if the NHL's concussion spotters stepped in to protect him after such a serious looking blow to the head.

Here is a look at the replay:

Stay tuned for updates on Mikkola's condition as they become available.