SUNRISE, Fla. _ One reason the Florida Panthers so far have failed to generate the scoring punch that was expected is they haven't been the team that was constructed in the offseason due to injuries.
Overcoming injuries is requisite to success in the NHL. The Panthers have had mixed results in the absence of three of their top nine forwards during a 4-5-1 start to the season.
They will benefit from the return of two of them, Nick Bjugstad and Jussi Jokinen, which could come next week, coach Gerard Gallant said Thursday.
"They've been on the ice and they're skating and they're going to practice with the team _ not (Friday) but the next practice," Gallant said. "Will they play (Monday) against Tampa (Bay)? Questionable, but they're getting close.
"They'll probably want to get some practice time, so the Tampa game might not be possible, but we'll see."
The Panthers have gotten admirable production from Jonathan Marchessault on the top line in place of Jonathan Huberdeau, who still faces months of recovering from surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon. Colton Sceviour has done likewise on the second line, producing his first hat trick, while filling in for Jokinen, who was to miss his seventh game with a lower-body injury Thursday against the Devils at the BB&T Center.
But moving Marchessault and Sceviour up in replacement roles created a domino effect on the lines. The two were envisioned on the wings alongside Bjugstad for the third line. That plan unraveled when Huberdeau and Bjugstad (broken hand) went down late in the exhibition season.
"I'd sooner have my full lineup more than anything," Gallant said. "You don't make excuses (for injures), every team goes through that in parts of the season. Overall in the 10 games I think we played eight real good games.
"But there's two games we stunk in too."
The injuries have provided playing time for a youthful third line of Denis Malgin (19), Jared McCann (20) and Kyle Rau (24), which produced the only Florida goal Tuesday in a 2-1 loss to Boston. It was the first NHL goal for Malgin, a surprise to make the roster out of training camp but who gained notice by creating several scoring chances in recent games before the breakthrough goal.
"He's getting two or three good chances every night," Gallant said. "That's what you want from those young kids. He looks like a dangerous player right now to me."
Meanwhile, Malgin's linemate McCann, acquired in the trade for defenseman Erik Gudbranson, was still seeking his first point for Florida going into Thursday. He had played in every game and was the only Panther to appear in more than one who had yet to crack the scoresheet.
The return of injured players could lead to an intriguing third line of Bjugstad, Sceviour and Malgin.
"Nick's been skating hard for a week and a half," Gallant said, noting that Jokinen is also skating on his own.
