FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Matthew Tkachuk will be a game-day decision for the Florida Panthers for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, SCRIPPS, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“He has get through the morning skate, we’re still monitoring the recovery off the practice,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Monday before the team departed for Tampa. “He was out early [Monday] before we went, stayed until the end, so we’ll see how he feels coming in.
“If he gets through that morning skate, everyone gives a thumbs up, then he’ll go.”
The forward, who has been out since sustaining a lower-body injury while playing for the United States against Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, has joined his teammates for the past two practices. On Monday, he was again skating on Florida’s second line with center Sam Bennett and rookie Mackie Samoskevich at left wing. Tkachuk was also on the top power-play unit. Saturday was Tkachuk’s first full practice since his injury.
Tkachuk had 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games for the Panthers this season, including seven goals in a six-game goal streak leading into the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Florida (47-31-4) finished third in the Atlantic Division after winning the Stanley Cup for the first time last season.
“If you go back and look at the past five games, at different times I was running versions of all these different lines if Matthew was not playing,” Maurice said. “I know who is going into that hole, we have run that before. The lines have been run in games that we liked. We have a flow chart to how we will handle this.
“[But] we’re close enough now that you put yourself in the position where you would consider two more days if you thought you were right there. The doctors and Matthew will tell us where he’s at and we will go from there.”
Tkachuk was injured against Canada on Feb. 15 and did not play against Sweden on Feb. 17. He tried to play in the championship game three days later but was limited to 6:47 of ice time before sitting out the third period and overtime of the United States’ 3-2 loss to Canada.
“He is a competitor and he is there to win,” Panthers forward Brad Marchand said. “You hear the way he talks, and his reputation precedes him. He is a very talented guy and one of the gifted players in the League around the net. He is a presence out there. You need to be aware when he is on the ice.”
