It can’t get any better for the Florida Panthers at the moment. They began their Stanley Cup Playoffs campaign with a bang, winning the opening two games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Moreover, they did so quite convincingly, enhancing their chances of progressing through. While their performances on the ice surely caught the eyes of the NHL world, they also received a massive boost ahead of Game 3 against the Lightning. Their head coach, Paul Maurice, dropped a major update on one of their key players and captain, Aleksander Barkov.

During Game 2, Barkov left the game midway after he suffered an undisclosed injury. It looks like the injury wasn’t very severe and he will take warmups for the third game, signaling that he could feature in the next game against the Lightning. Speaking to reporters ahead of the game, Maurice said, “We think he’s good. He has to get through [warmups], get his heart rate up. We think he’s good,” when asked about Barkov’s injury.

Even as Maurice was confident about Barkov’s return, he had backup plans in case the Panthers captain wasn’t deemed fit. “I have two or three lineups. We know what we will look like if [Barkov] cannot play. The players who will play together, it won’t be the first time. They understand what they’re doing,” Maurice said ahead of Game 3 later today.

While Barkov’s comeback was good news for the Panthers, their opponents will have to do without Brandon Hagel. The Lightning forward was suspended for a game for interference against Barkov. He was assessed a major penalty and will miss the crucial Game 3. However, the bigger problem lied in the team’s performance, according to coach Jon Cooper. He said, “Let’s be honest, nobody’s on the score sheet. We’ve scored two goals in two games, that’s not the recipe for success.”

Meanwhile, Barkov’s return isn’t the only positive update for the Panthers. One of their key stars, Aaron Ekblad, is also set to return later today.

Aaron Ekblad could join Aleksander Barkov on the team today

Earlier this season, the Panthers’ defenseman, Ekblad, was suspended for 20 games after violating the NHL’s drug policy. He had failed a random drug test, which came as a shock to him, and he even apologized for his mistake. However, he was handed a 20-game suspension,n which ended during Game 2 between the Panthers and the Lightning. Ahead of his return, coach Maurice made clear his expectations from Ekblad.

He revealed, “We’ll put him right back with his partner and right back in all the situations. We’ll get him up to speed as fast as we can. There’s going to be about a 10-minute kind of adjustment to playoff hockey, because it’s just different. So, we’ll make that adjustment when he goes.”

With some good showings in the past games, the Panthers are in a strong position to progress through to the second round. However, the Lightning can’t be ruled out yet in the tie and the Panthers would have to be vary of their comeback abilities.