The Florida Panthers were dealt a scare on Thursday evening in a 1-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes as both Matthew Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling exited with apparent injuries. Ahead of Saturday's clash with the Washington Capitals, head coach Paul Maurice offered updates on the two.

Tkachuk won't play and remains day-to-day but Forsling is set to suit up. Via Elliotte Friedman:

“Paul Maurice announces Gustav Forsling plays tonight vs WASH. Matthew Tkachuk won’t go, but did skate and is day-to-day.”

It is promising that Tkachuk did skate early Saturday morning because that's a sign he won't miss too much time. By the looks of it, there's a good chance he plays Tuesday versus the Buffalo Sabres. The Canadian has been a beast for the high-flying Panthers in 2023-24, scoring 20 goals and tallying 45 assists in 57 games played. He's second on Florida in points behind only Sam Reinhart.

As for Forsling, he's only registered 27 points but he's a key piece of this blue line and a big reason they're allowing a measly 2.4 goals per game, which is second-best in the entire NHL. The Swede has featured in 56 contests. The Panthers look more than capable of making another Stanley Cup run this season, sitting just two points behind the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division with a 37-16-4 record.

Florida is also 8-2-0 in their last 10 outings. With Tkachuk sidelined against Alex Ovechkin and the Caps, it'll be up to the likes of Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, and Aleksander Barkov, among others, to produce as they look to bounce back with a victory.