Teuvo Teravainen will make his return from a broken hand on Thursday night.
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour confirmed Thursday morning that Teravainen plans to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Florida Panthers.
“He should be ready to go,” Brind’Amour said. “He gave me a thumbs-up yesterday, and I think he was fine this morning. So we’ve got to get him in.”
Teravainen, 28, underwent surgery April 22 to repair a bone in his hand after getting slashed by New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau in Carolina’s 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2 of the first-round series.
The team said then that Teravainen could miss 4-to-8 weeks.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Teravainen said this week. “I thought for sure I was done but doctors did a really good job and it looks like (I’m) getting back pretty soon.
“I think I’m pretty much ready to go, so whenever coach puts me out there.”
Teravainen returned to practice Saturday for the first time since the injury, wearing a no-contact jersey. However, he shed the yellow jersey in Monday’s practice.
Teravainen, 28, totaled 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) in 68 games this season.
A 2015 Stanley Cup champion with Chicago, Teravainen has totaled 406 points (130 goals, 276 assists) in 594 career games with the Blackhawks and Hurricanes.
–Field Level Media