SUNRISE, Fla. -- Center Dave Bolland will return to the lineup for the slumping Florida Panthers when they face the Calgary Flames at BB&T Center on Tuesday.

Bolland missed the past two games with a hand injury he sustained in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks last Wednesday.

That game started a three-game road trip that finished with three-goal losses to the San Jose Sharks (5-2) and the Los Angeles Kings (4-1). The Panthers have lost their past five overall (0-3-2) as they begin a stretch of seven out of eight games at home. The one road game will be against the Tampa Bay Lightning; the Panthers will not leave the state of Florida until Nov. 29 when they face the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

"These games are really important for us to get back in it and find our confidence back," center Nick Bjugstad said. "I think we have it in us, so it's important to win here at home."

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Forwards Reilly Smith and Jimmy Hayes are off to good starts with their new team, and they'll face off Friday for the first time since being traded for one another when the Florida Panthers play the Boston Bruins at BB&T Center (7:30 p.m. ET; NESN, FS-F).

Smith, acquired from the Bruins along with the contract of forward Marc Savard for Hayes on July 1, is third on the Panthers with seven points.

"I think pretty much everyone looks forward to [games against their former team]," Smith said after the morning skate. "I don't know too many people who don't. They were definitely circled on my calendar and I think a lot of people go through the same experience. It should be fun. I'm looking forward to it."

Hayes is fourth on the Bruins with eight points after going without a point in the first three games.

"It's always fun playing against some of your buddies," Hayes said. "I was just here last year. It's exciting. They're a hard-working team, have some talented players up front. They're young, similar to us, play a strong north-south game. They've been scoring goals too, so it's a real good test for us."

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Former Dallas Stars first-round pick Radek Faksa will make his long-awaited NHL debut Saturday night against the Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; FS-F, FS-SW). The 13th selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, will also play against his idol, Jaromir Jagr.

"I'm looking forward to it," Faksa, who like Jagr is from the Czech Republic, said after morning skate. "I'm excited for that because Jagr is like basically my idol. He's like my hockey God. I'm very excited for that."

Faksa was recalled by the Stars on Friday after they placed forward Curtis McKenzie on injured reserve because of a lower-body injury. McKenzie was injured Thursday after taking a hit from behind from Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Nikita Nesterov, who was suspended two games for the hit.

Faksa had two goals in his only game with the Texas of the American Hockey League. He had 10 points in 32 games in the AHL in 2014-15 before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury in January.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers will unveil their latest young prospect in their season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers at BB&T Center on Saturday.

Left wing Connor Brickley, a second-round pick (No. 50) at the 2010 NHL Draft, will make his NHL debut after winning a roster spot during training camp.

"He had a good training camp and he deserves a shot to play," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. "He came to camp and he won a job. He played his role real well, he scored some key goals. It started from the rookie camp and right to the main camp."

Brickley, who will be one of 11 players 25 or younger in Florida's opening-night lineup, scored two goals in four preseason games.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Montreal Canadiens will look to reclaim first place in the Atlantic Division when they face the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; SN, RDS, FS-F).

The Canadiens (47-22-10) will come in tied for first place in the division with the Tampa Bay Lightning with 104 points, but with a game in hand.

Montreal will be looking to avoid its first four-game losing streak of the season after losing 5-3 against Tampa Bay on Monday and dropping shootout decisions against the Washington Capitals (5-4) and New Jersey Devils (3-2) on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

The Canadiens are 1-2-3 in their past six games.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Center Tyler Johnson is expected back in the lineup for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they face the Florida Panthers on Saturday and try to clinch home-ice advantage for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (7 p.m. ET; SUN, FS-F).

Johnson, the Lightning’s second-leading scorer with 67 points, missed the past three games because of an upper-body injury.

Coach John Cooper declined to confirm if Johnson would play, but Johnson was on a line with Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov during morning skate.

Tampa Bay (47-24-8) needs one point to clinch at least second place in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay trails the Montreal Canadiens by two points for first place, but holds the tiebreaker advantage with four more regular or overtime victories.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Two nights after their playoff hopes were severely damaged, the Florida Panthers will be back in action Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-CR, FS-F).

The Panthers (35-27-15) squandered a 2-1 third-period lead Tuesday in a 3-2 loss against the Boston Bruins to fall six points behind the Bruins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. After being 20 minutes away from moving to within two points of the Bruins, the Panthers will be eliminated from playoff contention Thursday if they lose in regulation and the Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings.

Florida also trails the Ottawa Senators by three points, and Ottawa has a game in hand.

"We're going to stay in the moment and we need a big win against Carolina," captain Willie Mitchell said after the morning skate Thursday. "We can't control other people, what they're doing. Obviously we put ourselves in this situation. What we control is what we do as a hockey club."

Luongo missed the past six games after sustaining a shoulder injury in a 3-2 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 3. After leaving the game following the first period and going to the hospital for tests, Luongo went back in for the last 9:08 of the third period after backup Al Montoya sustained a groin injury.

"[Luongo] has been our MVP all year long," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said after the morning skate. "He's been a great player for us and a great leader and a great character. He's going to come in tonight and try to do his best. He'll work hard and compete hard and I'm sure the guys will be excited to see him."

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo took part in the morning skate Tuesday for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury two weeks ago, but he'll miss his sixth consecutive game when the Panthers play the Montreal Canadiens at BB&T Center.

"It's getting a lot better," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said of Luongo's right shoulder. "He's not 100 percent but it's getting real close. It's good to take a full morning skate and hopefully that will lead to a full practice tomorrow. [He's] getting closer and getting better but still not in tonight."

With Al Montoya still out because of a groin injury sustained after he replaced Luongo in a 3-2 home loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 3, Dan Ellis will make his sixth straight start for the Panthers.

Ellis has been impressive since being recalled from the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League, going 3-1-1 with a 1.95 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers once again will be without their top two goalies when they play the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday after a four-day break. But they will have their full complement of skaters.

Center Dave Bolland will be back in the lineup after missing eight games because of an upper-body injury. His return was delayed when he had to miss practice last week because of the flu.

The flu went around the Panthers locker room and five players each missed one game last week because of it. But all five, defensemen Willie Mitchell, Erik Gudbranson and Aaron Ekblad, and with forwards Jaromir Jagr and Tomas Kopecky, will be available against the Jets.