Florida Panthers Expect Matthew Tkachuk to Return on Thursday
After a five-game absence, the Florida Panthers expect Matthew Tkachuk to be back in the lineup on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.
FORT LAUDERDALE — After weathering a five-game absence from their star winger, Florida Panthers expect Matthew Tkachuk to return to the lineup on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild.
Tkachuk was a full participant in Monday morning’s practice and coach Paul Maurice said that if he clears medical testing, he will suit up.
He was pretty confident that he would do so.
“I’m going to assume so, based on what I saw in practice today,” Maurice said when asked if he expected Tkachuk to play.
“We just got to get him cleared by medical after practice to make sure that he comes to the rink feeling as good as he left today, and we expect all of those things to happen so we expect him in the lineup.”
During line rushes, Tkachuk skated with his usual linemates from last season: Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe.
Evan Rodrigues was moved to the third line with Jesper Boqvist and Mackie Samoskevich while A.J. Greer and Patrick Giles were the lone healthy forwards who skated on the fourth line.
Jonah Gadjovich did not practice on Monday and is expected to miss his second-straight game since something “tightened up” on him during his third shift of Tuesday night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
“He’s doing better, but this one is going to take a little while,” Maurice said. “He’s just got something that won’t loosen up and he’s got a bit of a back spasm, so when he gets ready he will be fine.”
Tomas Nosek joined the team for a full practice for the first time in a yellow, non-contact jersey on Monday, skating on that fourth line in rushes, but is not eligible to come off long-term injured reserve until the Finland trip.
The Panthers are expected to roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen once again against Minnesota, with Uvis Balinskis jumping up to play wing on the fourth line.
Captain Aleksander Barkov did not skate with the main group, remaining in the injured reserve skate, but is still expected to make a return from his lower-body sometime before the Panthers play in his hometown of Tampere, Finland at the start of of November.
“We put him on IR skate prior to [practice] and I think it’ll be somewhere on this trip,” Maurice said. “I think he plays before we go to Finland, which one of the three New York games, I’m not sure, and if it’s not right where we need to be, it’ll be Finland. But he will be playing in Finland.”