HIGHLIGHTS
- Matthew Tkachuk spoke on his injury during an interview on Wednesday
- The Florida Panthers star has been out since the 4 Nations ended
- Read below to see what Tkachuk said
The Florida Panthers are heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs as a legitimate threat to repeat as champions, and it appears they could potentially have one of their best guys healthy for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round.
During an interview with Kay Adams on the “Up and Adams Show”, Tkachuk didn’t confirm he’ll be ready for the beginning of the playoffs, but he certainly dropped a strong hint on his return for the beginning of the Cats’ potential title run.
“I think I’d get in trouble if I said,” Tkachuk said. “I will say it’s been very good (the) last probably few days on the ice. I’ve really only been on the ice for a couple days with, like, legit skates, so I’m just trying to peak sometime around Game 1. So, [I’m] looking forward to it.”
The Panthers have been struggling, winning just three of their final 10 games. Getting Tkachuk back could certainly give them a dramatic boost. The American suffered an injury in the 4 Nations and had to leave the championship game against Canada early due to the ailment.
“It’s been crushing me the last little bit,” Tkachuk said. “I’ve been wanting to get out there so bad. I think the first couple games after that 4 Nations, you really want to be out there, but it’s probably good to try to get some rest and get recovered and everything.
“But for the last month and a little bit, I’ve just been itching so badly, so I can’t wait to get back out (there), whenever that day is, hopefully, very, very soon. So, I’m excited to get back.”
Tkachuk has been solid when healthy, scoring 22 goals and tallying 35 assists in 52 appearances. He missed the last 25 games of the campaign. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said they will know more about Tkachuk’s status after this week:
“This week is a really important week for him,” Maurice said, via NHL.com. “He’s not that far off. If he’s not [ready for Game 1], he’s very, very close. We’re not missing this by two weeks.”
For the second straight season, Florida will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round.
