Florida Panthers left winger Matthew Tkachuk has had a whirlwind of a season. After helping lead the Panthers to another successful year, he participated in the uber-popular 4 Nations tournament with Team USA. Unfortunately, a groin injury derailed what was a promising start to the tournament.
Tkachuk suffered the injury on February 15th during USA’s 3-1 victory over Canada – his second game of the tournament. Because the USA had already secured a spot in the championship game, Tkachuk sat out the final round-robin matchup against Sweden as a precautionary measure.
However, he attempted to play in the highly anticipated championship game against Canada on February 20th. Unfortunately, his ice time was limited to just 6:47, and he concluded his final shift with 3:22 remaining in the second period, clearly hampered by the injury. Canada ultimately won the final in overtime with a score of 3-2
Panthers Star Provides Latest Injury Update
The Panthers are getting ready to defend their title when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin this weekend. Tkachuk joined Kay Adams on Up & Adams, where he revealed how he has been dealing with his injury and when he might return.
“It’s been crushing me the last little bit. I’ve been wanting to get out there so bad. The first couple of games after that Four Nations, you really wanna be out there, but it’s probably good to get some rest and recover.
For the last month and a little bit, I’ve just been itching so badly. I can’t wait to get back out whenever that day is. Hopefully, very very soon. I will say it’s been very good the last few days. I’ve really only been on the ice for a couple of days of legit skate. I’m just trying to peak sometime around Game 1.”
Matthew Tkachuk back for Game 1? Sure sounds like it…@heykayadams | @TKACHUKycheese_ pic.twitter.com/CJw8zbaliY
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow)
In the 52 games he played, Tkachuk remained a vital offensive force for Florida, registering 22 goals and 35 assists for a total of 57 points. While this pace was slightly below his massive output of the previous season, he still led the team in assists and was a key playmaker. His 11 power-play goals also highlighted his importance on the man advantage.
Head coach Paul Maurice spoke earlier this week with the media, echoing what Tkachuk alluded to with Adams.
“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.”
