FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk will skate Tuesday morning. Whether he'll play for the Florida Panthers in their playoff opener on Tuesday night is anyone's guess.
Tkachuk — who hasn't played for the Panthers since Feb. 8 and hasn't played any games since the 4 Nations Face-Off two months ago because of a lower-body injury — went through practice on Monday with the reigning Stanley Cup champions, his second on-ice workout in a three-day span.
But the Panthers want to see how he gets through morning skate on Tuesday before deciding whether he plays in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series at Tampa Bay that night.
“He’s got to get through the morning skate tomorrow," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after Monday's practice. "We’re still monitoring the recovery off the practice. So, he was out early before we went, went through a whole practice, stayed until the end. We'll see how he feels coming back in tomorrow. And if he feels good and he gets through that morning skate and everybody's thumbs-up, then he’ll go.”
Tkachuk got hurt in the second game of the 4 Nations event, 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 team’s final 25 games of the regular season, yet still finished with 22 goals, 35 assists and 57 points — third-most on the team in all three categories. He was also second on the Panthers this season with 11 power-play goals.
It sounds like the decision is going to be whether he's ready for Game 1 or Game 2. Maurice noted that two more days — the game between the series opener and Thursday's second game — might be useful.
“We're close enough now that you also put yourself in that situation where you’d consider two more days, if you felt you were right there," Maurice said. "We'll just let the doctors and Matthew tell us where he’s at and then we’ll go from there.”
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FILE - Calgary Flames' Matthew Tkachuk, watches drills during NHL hockey training camp in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Sept. 23, 2016. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
MONTREAL (AP) — Mike Matheson and Juraj Slafkovsky scored goals 37 seconds apart to start the third period, propelling the Montreal Canadiens to a 6-3 win over the last-place Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.
Alexandre Carrier scored twice in a 20-second span in the second period for Montreal, which rebounded from a 4-0 home-ice loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Noah Dobson and Oliver Kapanen also scored in the Canadiens' fourth straight win over the Canucks.
Jakub Dobes, making his first start since Jan. 1, stopped 20 shots for Montreal. Dobes defeated Vancouver for the second time in as many outings this season.
Elias Pettersson, Evander Kane and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks.
Vancouver has lost the first four games of its season-long six-game Eastern Conference road trip. Overall, the Canucks have lost seven straight and nine of their last 10.
Nikita Tolopilo made 35 saves in his first appearance in goal for Vancouver since Dec. 8.
The Belarusian goaltender was recalled Sunday under emergency conditions from the Canucks’ AHL affiliate.
Starter Thatcher Demko was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury he suffered in his team’s 5-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Demko returned to Vancouver to be further evaluated by the Canucks’ medical staff.
Vancouver scored the opening goal of the game for the first time in six games, marking their first lead in a game since Dec. 30.
Carrier’s first goal was his 100th career point. It also was the first career multigoal game for the 29-year-old blueliner.
Canucks: At Ottawa on Tuesday in the fifth game of a six-game trip.
Canadiens: At Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Montreal Canadiens' Alexandre Carrier, second from left, scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) as Canucks' Tom Willander (5) defends during second-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Max Sasson (63) scores against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) during second-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) watches the puck in front of Montreal Canadiens' Alexandre Texier (85) as Canucks' Marcus Pettersson (29) defends during second-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Montreal Canadiens' Alexandre Carrier (45) scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo, bottom left, as Canucks' Tom Willander (5) defends during second-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
