The Florida Panthers should be getting some reinforcements soon, with both Nick Bjugstad and Jussi Jokinen progressing towards a return to action.
Per the Miami Herald, Bjugstad (broken hand) and Jokinen (lower body) will not play tonight against the Devils or Saturday in Washington, but could be back for Monday’s home game against Tampa Bay.
The Panthers have been without Bjugstad all season, while Jokinen has only played four games.
It’s been a frustrating start for Gallant’s team, which has a losing record (4-5-1) after 10 games despite boasting solid possession numbers. On Tuesday, the Panthers outshot the Bruins, 34-26, but lost the game, 2-1.
“I’m not worried,” Gallant said yesterday. “I wish we were 7-1 but we’re 4-5-1. We work hard, we play hard. We’ll see what happens. I’m not going to come in here sulking already. It’s too early for that.”
The Panthers have also been without Jonathan Huberdeau to start the season, and that will be the case for a while longer. Huberdeau was expected to miss 3-4 months after he injured his leg in early October.