Cousins has been out since Jan. 2 after entering the concussion protocol following an illegal check by Arizona's Jason Zucker

The Florida Panthers are looking to hit the ground running as they prepare for the post-All-Star game sprint to the playoffs.

Florida's last game was on Jan. 27, a 3-2 shootout victory on Long Island that was the team's fourth win in a row overall and eighth straight on the road, a franchise record.

So yeah, the Cats have been rolling. They're 13-2-2 since Dec. 23 and have a much friendlier second-half schedule to look forward to.

The Panthers are also getting back to full strength.

Taking the ice at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale over the past two days, Florida appears to be on the cusp of welcoming back Nick Cousins to the lineup.

Cousins has been out since Jan. 2 when he was checked into the boards by Arizona's Jason Zucker, who subsequently received a three-game suspension for the hit.

In the time since, Cousins has been working his way through the concussion protocol.

He began practicing with the team prior to the All-Star break and shed his gold, non-contact jersey, a sign that he was nearing full medical clearance.

"I feel good, I feel like myself again and I'm excited to come back to try and help the guys," Cousins said.

The veteran forward expressed a solid understanding of the process of returning from a head injury and said he tried to use his time away from the rink to get better in other ways.

But at the end of the day, he was still a hockey player who couldn't play hockey.

"It's never fun," Cousins said. "The guys have been playing really well, so it's made it a lot easier on me just watching. When you have to sit back and watch, you can pick up things certain guys do, so I'm trying to implement some stuff that I see out there. It was it was a long month but I'm excited to get back out there."

During his time on the ice since returning, Cousins has moved back onto a line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.

Florida paired a plethora of Panthers players with the two young Finns while Cousins was out, from Evan Rodrigues to Sam Reinhart to Ryan Lomberg to Mackie Samoskevich.

The team is fortunate to have built up such a deep forward group.

It's allowed Cousins to work his way back from injury without any stress or worry of the team sputtering or struggling without its full arsenal of players.

"Before the break I had three or four good practices, and then obviously had the break to kind of reenergize myself and get back up to speed," Cousins said. "Now we're back here ready to go, and all the guys are rested for a big second half, so I'm just trying to come in to help the guys any way I can."

Cousins will participate in Tuesday's morning skate and, barring any setbacks, is expected to be in the lineup when Florida hosts the Philadelphia Flyers.

The pucks drops at Amerant Bank Arena at 7 p.m. 

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Veteran forward Zac Dalpe sets all-time Charlotte Checkers goal record

The Hockey Show: Recapping All-Star Saturday in all its Maple Leafy glory

‘I tried to savor every moment’: Sergei Bobrovsky, Sam Reinhart reflect on All-Star experience

Reinhart, Bobrovsky help Team McDavid reach All-Star Game final

The Hockey Show invades NHL All-Star Weekend