Florida Panthers Exit Holiday Break Hobbled, But Escape Disaster

Matthew Tkachuk will not miss a game after taking a knee-to-knee hit from Nikita Kucherov.

The Florida Panthers are coming out of the NHL’s holiday break wounded, but it’s not as badly as it initially appeared to be.

Matthew Tkachuk is healthy enough to play in the team’s Dec. 28 clash against the Montreal Canadiens after taking a knee-to-knee hit from Nikita Kucherov five days prior. He returned to the game — albeit a bit hobbled — and worked on rehabbing it during the holiday break.

Jesper Boqvist is also set to return from an injury that kept him out of each of the team’s past two games.

The only two players left on the injury report are Jonah Gadjovich and Niko Mikkola.

Mikkola was a new addition to the report after the Dec. 23 clash with the Tampa Bay Lightning, when he left with an upper-body injury and did not return. He is currently listed as day-to-day and will not play against Montreal on Saturday afternoon.

Gadjovich missed the past two games with an upper-body injury and will not return to the lineup on Saturday either.

Adam and Jesper Boqvist will take their respective spots in the lineup against the Canadiens.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice also said that Spencer Knight will start in net against the Canadiens.