Tkachuk skates with Panthers, as playoff opener at Lightning looms closer

FORT LAUDERDALE Fla AP Matthew Tkachuk skated with the Florida Panthers in practice on Saturday a sign that he may be ready to rejoin the lineup for Meeting of the playoffs The Panthers who won the Stanley Cup last season open Round at Tampa Bay on Tuesday The club doesn t expect to make a determination about Tkachuk s status for the opener until at least Monday Matthew looked like Matthew He looked fine Panthers coach Paul Maurice declared But it wasn t a heavy enough day or from a duration point of view long enough to make a meeting assessment The Panthers aren t practicing on Sunday how Tkachuk is feeling is one of the things the group s therapeutic staff will monitor on the off day and the plan from there Maurice disclosed is to have the whole association back on the ice on Monday before making the quick flight to Tampa Saturday he noted marked the first time this season that everyone on Florida s roster was on the practice ice together Better late than never Maurice announced Tkachuk has not played for Florida since Feb the band s last match before the start of the Nations Face-off event in which he participated for the U S He sustained a lower-body injury in the second meeting of that tournament then tried to play in the final against Canada but didn t take any shifts for the third period or overtime of that contest The Panthers placed Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve He missed the organization s final games of the regular season yet still finished with goals assists and points third-most on the band in all three categories He was also second on the Panthers this season with power-play goals When Tkachuk plays it will mark his first time being teammates with Florida forward Brad Marchand someone the Panthers acquired from rival Boston at the transaction deadline He s a competitor and he s there to win Marchand revealed You hear the way he talks and obviously his reputation precedes him He s a very competitive guy obviously very talented and one of the most of gifted players in the league around the net He s a presence out there