SUNRISE, Fla. — Goaltender Roberto Luongo left the Florida Panthers’ victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night with an upper-body injury and did not to return.

Protecting a 1-0 lead midway through the second period, Hurricanes forward Victor Rask stick-handled around the Panthers defense and appeared to have a wide open net, but Luongo reached back with his glove to save the would-be goal.

Though he didn’t head to the dressing room immediately after the play, Luongo talked things over with team trainers during the next TV timeout and exited the game shortly after.

After the game, head coach Gerard Gallant informed reporters that the injury to his starting goaltender was minor and Luongo isn’t expected to miss an extended period of time.

"Lou’s fine," Gallant said. "It’s not going to be that serious. We will know more tomorrow, but from everything the trainer told me, it’s not serious."

Backup goaltender Al Montoya replaced Luongo in net and stopped all 22 shots he faced as the Panthers defeated the Hurricanes 1-0 for their second shutout of the season.

"It’s tough to see a guy go down with an injury like that. I hope it’s minor," Montoya said. "For me, [tonight’s victory] was just about believing in my game. … It’s just knowing what I can do and contributing when I get the chance."

Luongo, 35, has posted a 6-5-5 record with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in 16 games for the Panthers this season.

You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.