The prognosis appeared ominous for the Florida Panthers last month. After firing head coach Gerard Gallant, the club continued to struggle under new coach Tom Rowe and reports indicated that forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov would miss the rest of the season.
The Panthers have begun to turn things around recently (2-0-1 in their last three games) and they are gaining ground in the tight Eastern Conference. On Friday, the club announced that Huberdeau and Barkov have been cleared to play and will be in the lineup against Anaheim.
This could be the boost that Florida needs to get back into the playoff mix, as Huberdeau has missed the entire year with an Achilles injury and Barkov the entire month of January with back problems.
We will discuss this and the latest rumors on our 2pm Buzzcast:
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— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) December 12, 2016