Matthew Tkachuk now has eight Stanley Cup playoffs games under his belt since returning from a more than two-month hiatus due to an apparent groin injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off in mid-February. The Florida Panthers’ star winger got off to a strong start to the postseason, with three goals and four points through the team’s first three games, but his scoring production has slowed a bit since then with no goals and three assists over the past five games entering a crucial Game 4 of Florida’s second-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
While Tkachuk dealt with the long layoff from game action, he said pregame Sunday that he is “feeling physically great.”
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“I’m very happy to be out there,” Tkachuk said. “It was a long time off. I’m just happy to be out there with the guys here. There’s nothing better.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice was cautious with Tkachuk early in the playoffs, limiting his ice time in the first couple games against the Tampa Bay Lightning to ensure he didn’t go overboard in his return to action.
But since the Toronto series began, Tkachuk is averaging just shy of 20 minutes of ice time per game, compared to an average of 13:42 in the five games against the Lightning. He has two assists in three games against Toronto in addition to seven hits and three takeaways.
And Tkachuk’s impact extends beyond his production on the ice. He’s a tone-setter in the dressing room and a player the team relies on to provide a spark. That will continue as the playoffs progress.
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“Matthew obviously is one of the heart-and-soul guys on this team,” defenseman Seth Jones said. “When I got here [via trade in early March], he wasn’t playing, and he was just rehabbing and trying to get better. But when he came back, you can see how vocal he is in the locker room. His leadership that he brings and the energy that he brings in our room, whether it’s before the game, intermission, during the game. And then the style of play, he’s a physical guy, but he’s got great hands around the net. He helps our power play tremendously down low around the net. He just brings a certain X factor to our team, a certain swagger to our team that I think is extremely helpful, especially in the playoffs.”
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) passes the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period of Game 3 of a second-round Stanley Cup playoffs series at the Amerant Bank Arena on Friday, May 9, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.
Building on Game 3
The Panthers still haven’t played a full game this series against Toronto that replicates their identity. The forecheck has been missing at times and the defense has been sloppy as well.
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But Maurice saw glimpses of how his team should perform in their 5-4 overtime win in Game 3 on Friday, particularly in the second period when they scored three consecutive goals over an 11-minute span to turn a 3-1 deficit into a temporary 4-3 lead.
“We feel we’re still building to our game, a level of consistency with the style of play,” Maurice said. “We think we got closer to it in Game 3.”
Added forward Evan Rodrigues, who was promoted to the top line with Alekansder Barkov and Sam Reinhart in Friday’s game: “I liked our fight. We go down two on two different occasions, and we didn’t give up. We stuck to our game. We got pucks deep, and we got on it. We didn’t have as much pressure on their D on our forecheck in the first two games as we would’ve liked. I thought we just got back to that in the second period.”
Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) celebrates with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) and left wing Tomas Nosek (92) after scoring a goal against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll (60) in a Overtime period of Game 3 of a second-round Stanley Cup playoffs series at the Amerant Bank Arena on Friday, May 9, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.
Birthday Brad
Veteran forward Brad Marchand, who scored the Panthers’ overtime goal on Friday, turned 37 on Sunday. He will be the sixth player in franchise history to play in a playoff game on his birthday, joining Niko Mikkola in 2024, Radko Gudas in 2023, Ben Chiarot in 2022, Chris Driedger in 2021, and Anton Stralman in 2020.
No Panthers player has ever scored a goal or even logged a point in a playoff game played on his birthday.
