Sitting second on the Panthers in scoring with 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) at the time of his injury, Tkachuk was on an absolute tear before being knocked out of the lineup.
Making a dent on the scoresheet in seven of eight games heading into the 4 Nations, the 27-year-old had tallied 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) during that hot stretch.
Giving Tkachuk some extra time to get as close to 100% as possible, the Panthers won’t drop the puck for their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning until Tuesday at Amalie Arena.
Overall, everyone was just happy to see the full group on the ice this morning for the first time this season.
“It was fun,” forward Brad Marchand said. “Guys were excited. It’s something we talked about out there, the first time we’ve been together as a group. It’s great to see.”
For more updates on Tkachuk’s status, check back following Monday’s practice.
READY FOR THE ROAD
The Panthers don’t fear the road.
Set to kick off another playoff run with Game 1 against the Lightning at Amalie Arena on Tuesday, the defending Stanley Cup champions don’t mind waiting a few games before dropping the puck in their own barn.
“At this point, we’re pretty experienced both ways, at home and on the road in the playoffs,” forward Sam Bennett said. “It doesn’t really make too much of a difference. When you get to start on the road, it’s more bonding time. Playoffs is the best time to bond as a team.”
Looking at recent history, that bonding has certainly been beneficial.
In making back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final – including capturing the Cup for the first time in franchise history last season – the Panthers have been an elite road squad.
Over their past two playoff runs, they've posted a 15-8 record away from home.
Last year, they went 7-4 on the road en route to the Cup.
When asked about that success, Maurice believes that depth is key.
Given the home team has last change, all four of Florida’s lines must be formidable.
“There’s a level of depth here that’s kind of improved each year, which takes the major component -- the technical component is the matchup game -- so we think we’re OK there,” Maurice said. “A couple of playoff years, the intensity of the road environment is something that you have to deal with, so you have some experience there.”
LIMIT THE POWER
The Lightning and a lethal power play have been synonymous for a while.
In fact, their 304 power-play goals since 2020-21 are the second-most in the NHL.
For the Panthers, the goal in Round 1 will be trying to turn off that power.
“It’s a big thing, for sure” said defenseman Niko Mikkola, a big pillar on the penalty kill for the Panthers. “You can win the series by the PK or PP. We need to stay out of the box.”
In the regular season, Florida’s penalty kill did better than most against Tampa Bay.
Despite owning the fifth-ranked power play in the NHL at 25.9%, the Lightning converted on just two of their 18 trips to the man advantage over four matchups against the Panthers.
Of those goals, one came in Game 82 when the Panthers were resting several stars.
Among the 15 teams that played the Lightning at least three times this season, the Panthers ranked tied for second with an 88.9% success rate on the penalty kill.
During last year’s Cup run, Maurice pointed to the penalty kill as an X-Factor.
This year, it’ll likely be no different.
“They have probably the most dangerous power play in the league,” Marchand said of Tampa Bay. “It doesn’t take much for them to score. They’ve got a lot of momentum out of it. Their top guys get a lot of momentum, feel good on the power play and create a lot there. We’re going to have to be really good [on the penalty kill]. Even more important, stay out of the box.”
SATURDAY’S PRACTICE LINES
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Evan Rodrigues – Nico Sturm – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Jaycob Megna – Aaron Ekblad
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
