Hurricanes’ Teravainen, Panthers’ Lomberg return for Game 1 of East final

By The Associated Press

FILE - Carolina Hurricanes' Teuvo Teravainen skates with the puck during the second period of Game 2 in the team's NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders in Raleigh, N.C., April 19, 2023. Teravainen's roughly month-long absence due to injury could be nearing an end. The Carolina Hurricanes forward has shed his no-contact jersey and participated in a full practice Monday, May 15, ahead of the Eastern Conference final against Florida. Teravainen hasn't played since he suffered a thumb injury early in the first-round series. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Karl B DeBlaker]

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen and Florida Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg returned from injury for Thursday night’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. Teravainen hasn’t played since suffering a what the team described as a hand injury in Game 2 of the first-round series against the New York Islanders. The injury required surgery on April 20 and left him with a scar running the length of his left thumb. His return Thursday comes exactly four weeks after the surgery. Lomberg had missed eight straight games due to an upper-body injury for the Panthers, including the second-round series against Toronto.