Hurricanes to get key forward back for Game 1 of Eastern Conference Final

Carolina Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teräväinen is set to return to the lineup in Thursday’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. This is Teräväinen’s first game in nearly a month after breaking his hand in Carolina’s first-round win against the New York Islanders.

Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff said Thursday morning Teräväinen was taking line rushes in practice alongside Jordan Staal and Martin Necas, bumping 23-year-old Jack Drury back down to a fourth-line role.

Teräväinen didn’t have the most productive season in 2022-23, but he’s still a very important part of a Hurricanes squad looking to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. In last year’s playoffs, Teräväinen scored 11 points in 14 games.

He’d gone without a point in two games against the Islanders, but now with some time off and a bit of a restart, look for Teräväinen to help rejuvenate the offensive game of Necas, who’s near the middle of the pack in team scoring with six points in 11 games.

It’s a needed boost against a Panthers team with an extremely balanced attack, receiving consistent production from the top three lines. Carolina’s managed to do the same with some unlikely players, but the past consistency of Teräväinen is still a major fortification to the Hurricanes forward corps.