The Panthers’ Achilles’ heel of late has been getting the puck in the net, as Florida has been outscored 10-3 during the past three games.

But mired in a three-game slump and in a crowded race for the Southeast Division crown and perhaps the last spot in the playoffs, Florida will take whatever help it can get. That’s why fans at the Saveology.com Iceplex on Tuesday were pleasantly surprised to see Ed Jovanovski practicing for the first time since breaking his hand on Jan. 16.

“I’ve felt like we have quality team leadership,” coach Kevin Dineen said. “But when you’re tested under circumstances — losing — you need all hands on board.”

Jovanovski said he was eager to return, but neither he nor Dineen said whether the alternate captain would play Thursday against Minnesota.

“I’m always cautious when you’re talking about players with big hearts that see the team has lost three in a row,” Dineen said.

Jovanovski tallied 49 blocked shots, 43 hits and eight points in 43 games this season before undergoing surgery on Jan. 19.

The first pick of the 1994 NHL Draft, Jovanovski will look to provide much-needed stability to a depleted blue line. On Sunday against Anaheim, Florida’s defensive rotation featured two recent call-ups ( Tyson Strachan and Nolan Yonkman) and a rookie ( Erik Gudbranson). If it wasn’t for strong goalkeeping by Jose Theodore, who stopped 64 of 67 shots over the past two games, those losses might have been worse.

Still, Jovanovski cautioned against placing too much faith in a single player.

“One guy is not going to change a lot; collectively, we all got to be better,” Jovanovski said. “That’s what we’re shooting for down the stretch.”

Jovanovski participated in Tuesday’s full-contact practice and did not have a cast on his hand. Jovanovski, 35, is noted for his physical play — he broke his hand in a fight this year, and last year he was placed on injured reserve after fracturing an orbital bone during a face-to-face collision — but Dineen said he is not worried.

“That’s [Jovanovski’s] job, to go out there and crack some bodies and try and be physical and be a difference-maker,” Dineen said. “I think he has the ability to do that for us.”

A;though Jovanovski might not provide the offensive spark that fellow injured defensemen Jason Garrison and Dmitry Kulikov have given Florida, his veteran presence should help the Panthers over the final one-fourth of the season.

Jovanovski has played on eight playoff teams, perhaps most notably the 1996 Panthers, when as a rookie he tallied nine points in 22 games.

Coincidentally, the last time Jovanovski broke his right hand was before that 1995-1996 season, when he hurt it in a preseason fight.

“Eddie’s seen a lot of things over the years,” Dineen said.

“He’s a valuable asset on and off the ice.”

More returnees

Jovanovski wasn’t the only player to return to the ice for Florida on Tuesday. Garrison and Marco Sturm also skated for the first time since their respective injuries. Garrison sustained a lower-body injury Feb. 11 against New Jersey, and Sturm underwent a knee procedure Feb. 6 and was expected to miss three to four weeks. It is unclear when Garrison and Sturm will return.

Dineen said the organization will make a decision Wednesday regarding a call-up from AHL San Antonio to replace Matt Bradley, who sustained what is thought to be a head injury Sunday against the Ducks.