Roberto Luongo out, Dave Bolland returns as Panthers prepare for Jets
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers had hoped that Roberto Luongo would be in net when the team returned from their four-day break to host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the team abandoned that hope.
"We would have loved to have him tomorrow, but it's just not there," head coach Gerard Gallant said. "It's getting a lot better, but he's just not ready to play. If he had practiced today then we'd look at it. We don't think it's going to be anything long term, but it's not going to be tomorrow."
Luongo, who suffered a shoulder injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 3, worked with goalie coach Robb Tallas before Wednesday's practice, but didn't take live shots from teammates. He has been rehabbing with Tallas since Monday.
Luongo, 35, has posted a 23-16-11 record with a 2.37 goals-against average and .921 save percentage this season.
In Luongo's absence, third-string goaltender Dan Ellis will get the nod against Winnipeg for his third consecutive start in net.
Ellis, who boasts 2.77 goals-against average and .900 save percentage with Florida this season, has played well enough to earn a vote of confidence from both teammates and coaches after backstopping the Panthers to three out of a possible four points in two starts since Luongo's injury.
"Ellis has played really well," forward Shawn Thornton said. "He's given us a chance to win every time he's been in there and that's all you can ask for right now. I don't know when Lou's coming back, it's kind of out of our control.
"Everybody goes through a little adversity, every other team's gone through it, we're just going through it right now. We're going to have to play through it, play through it and hopefully win some games."
Just as the Panthers are forced to push forward without their starting goaltender, the Jets will arrive to South Florida without one of their own key players in All-Star defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.
Byfuglien, whose 42 points ranks 12th among NHL defenseman this season, is expected to be out the next two to four weeks after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Ottawa Senators on March 3.
"Byfuglien is one of the best players in the league," Gallant said. "He's a big, physical presence. He's a guy that handles the puck and controls the game a lot. That's a big loss for their hockey club, not just for tomorrow's game, but it's a big loss for them."
Since the days of the Atlanta Thrashers and the now-defunct Southeast Division, Byfuglien has been a constant thorn in the Panthers' side thanks in large part to his ability to single handedly dominant games.
Still, Gallant doesn't expect an easy night against the playoff-hopeful Jets, especially after Florida endured an embarrassing 8-2 loss in their last meeting on Jan. 13.
"They're a good team. They work hard, they're big and physical and they come at you all the time," he said. "It doesn't matter who's out of their lineup, we've just got work hard, play our game and find a way to get some points."
As Florida sat idle over the past four days, the Boston Bruins increased their lead over the Panthers in the Eastern Conference wild-card race to six points. From here on out, no points can be left on the table and moral victories are nonexistent.
Starting with Thursday's game against Winnipeg, the Panthers now view every remaining game on their schedule as a must-win. With that in mind, the team should benefit from the return of one of their premier big-game players in center Dave Bolland.
Bolland, who has battled both an upper-body injury and the flu in recent weeks, has been cleared to play and is ready to return to Florida's lineup for the first time since Feb. 21 -- an eight-game absence.
"I think every game is a big game from here on in," said Bolland, who has three goals and 16 points in 37 games this season. "For myself, it's always fun playing in big games.
"It's nice to regroup, get everything back and get back to work."
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
