Josh Gold-Smith of The Score reports that reinforcements are coming in for the Florida Panthers, as both Aaron Ekblad and Anthony Duclair will be back for Game Five. This will be an elimination game for the Panthers, as the Boston Bruins have taken a three-to-one lead in the series.
Ekblad finally makes his return after leaving Game Three with an undisclosed injury. Before the start of Game Four, Ekblad was listed as a game-time decision and wound up not being able to play, as Casey Fitzgerald took his place in the lineup. Aside from Game Three, Ekblad averaged a little over 24 minutes a night in the first two games of the series but has been unable to find the scoresheet yet for the Panthers.
Duclair, who was also sitting out of Game Four with an undisclosed injury, returns to stave off elimination from the President’s Trophy winners. Duclair has not been used as much as Ekblad has been throughout this series, only averaging a little under 13 minutes a night. In the three games that he has played, Duclair has also been unable to find himself on the scoresheet and also carries a +/- of -6.
Other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Returning back from a three-game suspension, Michael Bunting will be available for the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday night as they look to eliminate the three-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Playing very well in his absence, Mark Masters of TSN reports that there is potential for Bunting to not make his way into the lineup for Game Five. Masters relays on a message from the Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe, who states that no decision has been made about Bunting’s return to the lineup but did confirm that Matthew Knies was not coming out of the lineup for Bunting.
- On the receiving end of Bunting’s suspension-worthy hit, Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak will not return for Game Five (Tweet Link). Only playing just over nine minutes in Game One, the Lightning have been without one of their best defensive defensemen for the remainder of the series up to this point. Since Cernak’s exit from Tampa Bay’s lineup, the Lightning have been unable to hold Toronto to less than four goals a game.
Fitzgerald had a quality game.
next TB/TOR game is Thursday not tomorrow
can’t see bunting getting into the lineup as the 4th line has done a great job this series and kerfoot and acciari scoring in TB probably buys them at least another game.
I also think Keefe is smart enough to realize that Bunting returning likely is more of a rallying tool for the lightning than it is a boon to Toronto’s lineup. Don’t think you see bunting until game 6 or 7 at earliest.
Bozo Bunting might be their most crucial forward of the series considering he knocked out the Lightnings second most important defenceman for more games than he was suspended. That’s a trade off the Leafs would make any day.