SAN JOSE, Calif. - Brad Marchand practiced with the Florida Panthers on Wednesday in San Jose, and coach Paul Maurice suggested the forward’s return from August surgery could come sooner than the team originally projected.
Maurice had said at the start of training camp that Marchand would miss the entirety of October to properly rehabilitate. That timeline now appears to be shortening, according to Florida Hockey Now, which reported on the workout. “He is probably further ahead than we thought,” Maurice said after Wednesday’s session. “The window is still there. But he survived a Patric Hornqvist skate the other day, and not too many healthy people can do that.”
Maurice added: “I think he is closer … than the end of the month.”
Wednesday marked the second time Marchand has been on the ice with his Panthers teammates. The first came during training camp, when the team was conducting a skills-heavy workout. Marchand had also been skating in the weeks prior during the team’s informal workouts before camp opened.
The Panthers arrived in San Jose off a 1-0 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, their season opener. Defenseman Gus Forsling won the game with a point shot with 4.3 seconds remaining. Despite sitting out Wednesday’s practice, along with forward Brady Tkachuk, Maurice said both players will be in the lineup Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center, with puck drop set for 10 p.m.
Florida leads the all-time regular season series against San Jose 25-15-1 with 7 ties. The Sharks won last season’s meeting 2-0. The two clubs will meet again at Florida on Feb. 21. The Panthers’ next game after Thursday is Sunday at the Anaheim Ducks at 8 p.m.