Matthew Tkachuk has solidified his status in South Florida.
Just two years ago, Tkachuk was severely injured during the Panthers` Stanley Cup Final loss to the Golden Knights, requiring assistance even to get dressed for games. Last season, he was instrumental in bringing the franchise its first championship, completing the team`s transformation initiated by his arrival from Calgary in the summer of 2022.
Given his history, including missing Florida’s final 25 regular-season games this year due to a suspected groin injury from the 4 Nations Face-Off, Tkachuk has earned some understanding if his game isn`t currently at its peak. While he has accumulated 17 points across 19 playoff contests, he`s been less noticeable during play compared to his previous two postseason runs with the Panthers. (However, he remains a disruptive force after the whistle blows.)
In Friday`s 5-4 double-overtime victory against the Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Tkachuk did not record a single shot on goal. This marks the sixth time this spring he`s failed to register a shot. For perspective, he had zero shots in only two of 44 total playoff games combined in 2023 and 2024.
After scoring 17 goals in the Panthers` prior two playoff appearances, which included six game-winners, Tkachuk has tallied five goals in 19 games this postseason. He endured a 10-game scoring drought that spanned from the first round through the beginning of the third round, tied for the fifth-longest such stretch in his nine-year professional career (regular season or playoffs).
Tkachuk`s ability to generate scoring chances has notably declined compared to last year. His rate of 1.37 chances per game ranks 103rd among 215 skaters who have played at least 100 minutes in these playoffs, and is eighth on the Panthers roster. In the previous postseason, Tkachuk was 22nd out of 193 eligible skaters, with 2.63 chances per game. Although his average ice time (17:23) is down by more than a minute from last year (18:30), he remains a fixture on the Panthers` power play, averaging nearly four minutes per game there.
Four of Tkachuk’s five goals have originated from the inner slot, yet he has managed only eight shots on net from this high-danger area (0.42 per game). In the previous two years across 44 playoff games, Tkachuk averaged 1.05 inner-slot shots per game, leading to 10 goals from that spot.
“If it goes in, it goes in. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’ve never cared,” Tkachuk told reporters before the Stanley Cup Final commenced. “Sometimes it’s nice to see it go in, but it is what it is. I’m not (Alex) Ovechkin. They are not always going to go in, but when they do, they feel nice.”
Another trait Tkachuk is known for, his physical play, has also been less prominent. The NHL credits Tkachuk with 7.44 hits per 60 minutes, a decrease from 9.73 in the prior postseason. He recorded three hits over the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final.
Despite a slight reduction in Tkachuk`s individual offensive output, the Panthers have performed effectively during his shifts at 5-on-5, outscoring opponents 15-9 and posting a 56.8 percent expected goals share. Tkachuk was on the ice for three of Florida`s five 5-on-5 goals against Edmonton, including providing a screen in front of Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner on defenseman Dmitry Kulikov’s second-period goal on Friday.
Tristan Blackwood