With Uvis Balinskis being reassigned to the Charlotte Checkers yesterday afternoon, the Florida Panthers had an open spot to fill in their defensive core. In doing so, it appears that defenseman Aaron Ekblad will make his return to the lineup tonight, as he was a full participant in practice this morning (X Link).
Ekblad, who has not played since the Panthers’ game on March 9th, has missed the last seven games for the organization. In the time that he has missed, Florida has not played particularly well, producing a 2-4-1 record in his absence, averaging 3.43 goals against per game over that stretch.
With now 10 games left in the regular season for the team, the Panthers will battle it out with the Boston Bruins over playoff positioning in the first two rounds of the playoffs. As the New York Rangers look to clinch both the Eastern Conference and the President’s Trophy, the Panthers will match up against the Tampa Bay Lightning or Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.