Panthers 'hopeful' Aaron Ekblad will return during first-round series vs. Capitals

Most people have forgotten that despite the Florida Panthers’ torrid pace over the past few months, defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been rehabbing a lower-body injury for about the past six weeks. Head coach Andrew Brunette said Ekblad was a full participant in Sunday's practice and that the team remains "hopeful" he returns at some point during the first-round series against the Washington Capitals. If all goes smoothly for Ekblad, there’s even a possibility he will be ready to go for Game 1 on Tuesday night.

It’s likely just adding insult to injury at this point for the Capitals, who’ll now have to face the Presidents’ Trophy winner and the hottest team in the East with another All-Star component added to the lineup. Ekblad was playing nearly 25 minutes per game prior to his injury, notching 57 points in 61 games, which still has him at ninth in the NHL among defensemen despite the injury. He’ll slide right back into a nightmare top pairing for opponents with MacKenzie Weegar, who’s flourished in the No. 1 defenseman role since Ekblad’s injury.

Here are some more injury notes...

• Alex Ovechkin was a full participant at Capitals practice on Sunday, and Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press reports it’s looking like he’ll dress for Game 1 against the Panthers. This is obviously an indescribable boost to the Caps' chances in this series, as they’ll need everyone firing on all cylinders in order to pull off one of the largest possible upsets in these playoffs. He leads the team by a wide margin with 50 goals, and it looks like he’ll get a chance to add to his 71 career playoff goals and 135 career playoff points.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs got mixed injury news at practice Sunday. Ondrej Kase, who hasn’t played in six weeks, was a full participant in practice on Sunday, and it appears he’ll be in the lineup for Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. However, while Michael Bunting practiced for the first time since suffering an injury against Tampa last week, he wasn’t a full participant and left practice halfway through. He’s extremely doubtful for Game 1.