Paul Maurice: Matthew Tkachuk ‘not that far off' from Panthers return as playoffs loom
The Florida Panthers have been understandably coy about Matthew Tkachuk's status as he recovers from an apparent groin injury sustained in mid-February during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
But with the Stanley Cup playoffs starting this weekend, and the team saying its timeline was for him to hopefully return when the postseason begins, coach Paul Maurice provided yet another update on the star winger as the regular season enters its final days.
'This week is a really important week for him,' Maurice said Monday morning on WQAM's Joe Rose Show. 'He's not that far off. If he's not [ready for Game 1 of the playoffs], he's very, very close. We're not missing this by two weeks.'
Tkachuk, who is on long-term injured reserve, sustained the injury during the United States' 3-1 win against Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 15 — his second game of the tournament. He didn't play the final 12:36 of that game, which secured the United States' spot in the championship game and during which he led a run of three fights in the opening nine seconds. With the USA already locked into the title game, Tkachuk then sat out the round-robin finale against Sweden on Feb. 17 entirely.
In the championship game on Feb. 20, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime, Tkachuk played just 6:47 and finished his final shift with 3:22 left in the second period.
Tkachuk has not played for the Panthers since then but did begin skating again on March 31 and has spent the past two weeks doing individual drills to get his conditioning back.
Maurice said the plan is for Tkachuk to resume working out with the team this week.
'It might be a day or two to [get to] a full push,' Maurice said. 'So what will happen is he'll amp up to full skates and hard skates toward the middle to end of this week. As he goes through those, how quick he recovers the next day will be the key thing. So if he comes in and there's no soreness the next day, then he's right and he'll be ready to go. If he's got a little residual soreness, we may have to hold another day or two, but he's not that far off.'
Prior to the injury, Tkachuk was second on the Panthers in goals (22), assists (35) and points (57) while leading the team with 11 power-play goals and 23 power-play points over 52 games. He is a staple in Florida's top-six, primarily serving as a winger on the Panthers' second line with center Sam Bennett.
This story will be updated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oilers' Evander Kane shows Panthers ultimate disrespect after Game 6 ejection
The post Oilers' Evander Kane shows Panthers ultimate disrespect after Game 6 ejection appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Florida Panthers have repeated as Stanley Cup champions in 2025. Florida took down Evander Kane and the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night to claim the NHL's ultimate prize. Kane did not get to see the end of this game, however. He was ejected during the third period of Game 6. Advertisement Kane and his teammates were going through the motions, with Game 6 out of reach. After a whistle, the Oilers forward got into it with Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk. He took two slashes at Tkachuk unprompted. This resulted in his ejection from the game, and an early end to his season. After the game, the Oilers and Panthers met at center ice for the traditional handshake line. However, one name was notably missing. The TNT broadcast noted that Kane did not partake in this handshake line. 'Eddie O just said on TNT that Evander Kane didn't go through the handshake line,' The Hockey News reporter Mark Scheig noted on Tuesday night. Oilers' Evander Kane does not like Panthers © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images One thing became clear throughout the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers and the Panthers do not like each other. Kane is certainly not exempt from this. He went after the team earlier in the series for what he perceived to be a lack of penalty calls against Florida. Advertisement 'They seem to get away with it more than we do,' Kane said in a clip shared by TSN on June 10. 'It's tough to find the line. They're doing just as much stuff as we are. There seems to be a little bit more attention on our group.' Kane and his Oilers have lost in the Final against the Panthers in the second year in a row. This time, however, he did slight Florida by not participating in the handshake line. He did get ejected, which is fair. However, he was expected to come back out and show respect. Let's see if this carries over to 2025-26 when the Oilers and Panthers inevitably meet again. Related: Oilers HC Kris Knoblauch's 'difficult' admission after Panthers series Related: Connor McDavid's pregame confidence aged like milk
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oilers' Connor McDavid refuses to be ‘crippled' by Stanley Cup pressure
The post Oilers' Connor McDavid refuses to be 'crippled' by Stanley Cup pressure appeared first on ClutchPoints. For the first time in the 2025 postseason, the Edmonton Oilers are down to their last loss. It took 21 games this spring, but Connor McDavid and co. are officially on the verge of elimination heading into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday night. Advertisement But despite needing a win on the road to send the series back to Alberta — and keep McDavid's dreams of getting the last piece of hardware his career is missing alive — the Oilers captain is not letting the pressure of winning a championship weigh him down. 'That's a pretty heavy question,' McDavid told reporters on Monday when asked how much pressure he feels to win the Stanley Cup as the NHL's best player. 'If you think about it that way, you'd probably be pretty crippled in how you prepare or how you play. It's a big game, everybody knows that. I know that. It's fun hockey, it's a fun series to be a part of.' Although McDavid has yet to take over a game against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final rematch, No. 97 still leads the playoffs with 33 points in 21 games — tied with teammate and fellow Conn Smythe frontrunner Leon Draisaitl. McDavid has managed seven points in the Finals and has won just about every award there is to win — except Lord Stanley. The 28-year-old won the Conn Smythe in a losing effort last June, and although he won't admit it, he and the Oilers are desperate to bring a Cup back to Edmonton for the first time since 1990. Advertisement 'For whatever reason, our group doesn't like to make it easy on ourselves and we've put ourselves in another difficult spot, but it's our job to work our way out of it,' McDavid continued. 'Everyone has another level, myself included.' Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk speaks on desperation Although McDavid won't admit desperation, Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk was a little more forthcoming in his comments on Monday. '[McDavid is] desperate to win a Cup, and so are we,' Tkachuk told reporters. 'He's obviously a talent like nobody else in the league. It's so hard to shut him down – I don't think you can shut him down. You can just try to limit as much as you can.' Advertisement Although McDavid was adamant that the Oilers haven't reached their full potential over the course of the Stanley Cup Final, time is running out to find another level. Edmonton was able to find that gear last year, making a miraculous comeback in an 0-3 hole by winning three straight and forcing a Game 7 against the Panthers. The Oilers faced elimination at Amerant Bank Arena in Game 5 in 2024, and won the contest 5-3. They faced elimination again in Game 7 a couple of nights later and lost 2-1, watching as Florida won its inaugural Stanley Cup. This time around, Edmonton has no choice but to find a victory if the franchise hopes to capture a championship for the first time in 35 years. Puck drops on what could be the final game of the 2024-25 National Hockey League season just past 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Related: How Panthers' Brad Marchand had Oilers star 'feeling s****y' Related: Oilers not committing to starting goalie for Game 6 vs. Panthers
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oilers' Connor McDavid drops truth bomb on surviving brutal playoff grind
The post Oilers' Connor McDavid drops truth bomb on surviving brutal playoff grind appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are an absolute grind, and the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers know that better than anyone else as, once again, the last two franchises standing in the National Hockey League. Advertisement The Oilers have played 21 games over the last two months; the Panthers, 22. This is Florida's third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final, and they've played more games (313) over the last three years than any other team. Edmonton isn't far behind at 304; the pair of perennial playoff contenders are both well-attuned to the grind at this point. The Oil have played 103 games in the last 248 days, per The Athletic's Michael Russo and Chris Johnston — but if they can't find a victory on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, No. 104 will be their last until the 2025-26 campaign commences in October. Connor McDavid recently revealed what keeps his team going during another gruelling postseason. 'There's lots of motivation, lots of excitement,' the captain said, per Russo and Johnston. 'We're in the same boat, you know, and they've had an extra year of it. Two teams that know what it's like to play in this intensity, in this environment and this time of the year.' Advertisement 'I don't think we've come out of the break feeling our best as a group or as a whole,' McDavid added. Both the Oilers and Panthers are certainly well-deserving of a break, but we're not there yet. First, it must be decided if there will be a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. Either Edmonton wins on Tuesday night and forces a winner-take-all back in Alberta on Friday, or Florida wins back-to-back Stanley Cups. And the Oilers are making a couple of key lineup changes for their first elimination game of the 2025 postseason. Oilers turning back to Stuart Skinner for Game 6 Calvin Pickard made his first start of the Stanley Cup Final in Game 5, allowing four goals on 18 shots in his first loss of the playoffs. Head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that Stuart Skinner will be back between the pipes for Game 6. Advertisement 'I think Stu is like our team, very resilient,' Knoblauch said on Tuesday, per 'They play their best when their backs are against the wall and we need great performances from there. It's no different whether it's Stu or Picks, they've been able to come up big when we need them at the most important times.' Along with Skinner, John Klingberg and Kasperi Kapanen will re-enter the lineup after watching Game 5 from the press box. The former will replace Troy Stecher on the blue line, while the latter will take the place of Viktor Arvidsson up front. And although Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn't participate in the morning skate as he continues to nurse an undisclosed injury, he will play on Tuesday night. Related: Oilers' Leon Draisaitl drops 6-word admission ahead of Game 6 Related: Oilers reveal starting goalie for do-or-die Game 6 vs. Panthers
