A key Panthers player returned to practice. How close is he to game action?
The Florida Panthers, for what feels like the first time all season, received some positive news on the injury front.
Forward Eetu Luostarinen returned to practice on Friday after missing the past eight games because he sustained burns to his lower body during a freak grilling accident.
“Nice to see him out there,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
And his transition from practice to game action might come quickly, too. Maurice even said “there is a possibility” Luostarinen plays this weekend, with Florida (12-12-2) hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-9-5) on Saturday (3:30 p.m., Scripps Sports) and the New York Islanders (15-10-3) on Sunday (5 p.m., Scripps Sports) at Amerant Bank Arena to cap a run of 11 out of 12 games on home ice.
Maurice said at this point, it’s all a matter of pain tolerance and minimizing the chance for infection. Doctors will give the final decision on when Luostarinen is cleared.
“We don’t want to go back two days too early and have to deal with this two weeks from now,” Maurice said. “At the same time, anybody that’s ready to play will play.”
The Panthers could certainly use the boost. They’ve dealt with injuries to major players all season. Captain Aleksander Barkov and star winger Matthew Tkachuk have not played a game all season, nor has fourth-line center Tomas Nosek. Veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov played just two games before needing shoulder surgery. Forwards Jonah Gadjovich and Cole Schwindt are out long-term, too.
And Luostarinen is a player who makes an under-the-radar impact on the lineup. He’s integral on the penalty kill and right now would be on Florida’s second power-play unit. He forms a dynamic defensive punch on a line with center Anton Lundell.
Perhaps most importantly, his presence helps balance out Florida’s forward lines and returns them to a sense of normalcy.
During practice on Friday, Florida’s forward lines were as follows:
Luostarinen-Lundell-Sam Reinhart
A.J. Greer-Sam Bennett-Brad Marchand
Jesper Boqvist-Evan Rodrigues-Mackie Samoskevich
Noah Gregor/Jack Devine-Jack Studnicka-Luke Kunin
Carter Verhaeghe did not practice, but would slot into Greer’s spot on the second line. That would then presumably move Greer down to the fourth line in the spot occupied by Gregor and Devine.
“You definitely feel the effect when he’s on the ice,” Bennett said. “That would be a massive boost if we can get him back here very soon.”
Added Maurice: “It’s great depth. It pushes everybody down a bit, so you have a player that’s a good player and gets to play against a different matchup. He’s off the bench first on our penalty kill, second-unit power play. He and Lundy have been playing against the other team’s best all year. Really important to our team.”
.JPG)