The Florida Panthers will receive a major boost on Friday night, as forwards Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau have both been cleared to play, the team announced.

"Sasha and Jonathan were cleared for contact earlier this week," president of hockey operations Dale Tallon said in a release. "As of today they have been cleared to return to our lineup and are ready to play. They are two of our young cornerstone players and have been adamant about getting back to game action. It's exciting to have our team returning to full health as we continue our push to the playoffs."

Huberdeau's return has been a long time coming. The 23-year old will make his season debut Friday against Anaheim after missing the entire campaign to date following Achilles surgery.

Meanwhile, Barkov - who remains fourth in team scoring - will return after missing the last 14 games with a back injury.

"I've seen how hard both Sasha and Jonathan have worked to recover from their injuries and I know they can't wait to get back to competing alongside their teammates," head coach Tom Rowe said. "Our medical staff deserves a ton of credit for the work they've done in helping two franchise players through their recovery process. Our organization and our locker room are thrilled to welcome them back to the lineup."

The Panthers are winners of two straight games and sit four points behind the Boston Bruins for third in the Atlantic Division - and a guaranteed playoff spot - with three games in hand.

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