Brad Marchand and Aleksander Barkov are skating again, a first step back for the Panthers after two key injuries.
That's the word out of Florida on Thursday, and it lands at a good moment. The Panthers won 5-1 at Winnipeg on Tuesday night and have won two straight.
Skating is not playing. Nobody should confuse the two. But for a team that has been patching its lineup, seeing the captain and the veteran winger back on the ice matters.
Barkov is listed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and the latest injury report says he's expected to be out until at least Nov. 27. Marchand is listed with a leg injury, expected out until at least Nov. 21.
Those dates are estimates, and "at least" is doing real work in both. Still, it gives Florida a window to plan around.
The Panthers sit 7-4-2 through 13 games, good for 16 points and third in the Atlantic Division. That's a solid start for a group missing its best center.
Neither player has had much of a chance to build rhythm this season. Barkov has played two games and has no points, while Marchand has one goal in his two.
Late November is the real target for Florida's return plan
Marchand's earliest date comes first, Nov. 21, followed by Barkov's on Nov. 27. If both hold, the Panthers could get their top two veteran voices back within a week of each other.
That would be a big deal for a team with a +2 goal differential. Florida has scored 39 and allowed 37, and that is thin margin for a club leaning on depth.
The road has been kind. The Panthers are 5-3-2 away from home and only 2-1-0 at home, so Friday's game against the Jets is a chance to even that out.
LNH reported that both players have resumed skating with the Panthers.
Florida has already been working through this without them. You can read how Brady Tkachuk's scoring has carried the Panthers in their absence.
Coach Paul Maurice also addressed it, and our look at Paul Maurice's Barkov and Marchand return timelines has more.
The question now is whether the Panthers can keep winning for three more weeks without either of them. And what does the lineup look like when both walk back in?
Should the Panthers keep Barkov and Marchand out until they're fully healthy, even if the team slips in the standings?
Voting closed
Latest Stories
Trade Rumor: Florida picks are in play for BlackhawksTHE PANTHERS NEED AN ANSWER IN COLUMBUSAaron Portzline just flagged how many goals the Panthers have been leaking: 16 allowed over their last four games, with Columbus up next.
Panthers carry a two-game skid into ColumbusCOLUMBUS GETS BAD NEWS BEFORE PANTHERS GAMERick Bowness just ruled Conor Garland out for Tuesday night's Blue Jackets game against the Panthers, per DMaetzMedia.
Lineup Change: Blue Jackets lose Garland vs PanthersWILSON FINALLY SPEAKS ABOUT SATURDAYRMNB just shared Tom Wilson's explanation for boarding Sandis Vilmanis, and he says he reached out to the Panthers' locker room.
Tom Wilson explains his boarding hit on Sandis VilmanisBOSTON HAS PICKED ITS NEW ENEMYBrady Tkachuk and the Panthers left Boston with a 4-1 loss Sunday, and now Bruins media are calling Florida their most hated team.
Panthers have become the Bruins' most hated teamTHE PANTHERS HAVE A SCHEDULE PROBLEMGeorge Richards pointed out this morning that the Panthers' nine wins come with a catch: four of them were against the Jets and Blackhawks.
Panthers' nine wins come with a catchA BIG DAY FOR THE TKACHUK FAMILYMatthew Tkachuk and his brother Brady are celebrating their father Keith's Hall of Fame induction, and the Panthers forwards call it legacy.
Tkachuk brothers celebrate Keith's Hall of Fame momentTHINGS GOT UGLY IN BOSTONBrady Tkachuk dropped the gloves with Nikita Zadorov off the opening draw Sunday, and the Panthers' night in Boston only got uglier.
Brady Tkachuk starts a wild night at TD Garden