Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk is out of Saturday’s game against Seattle Kraken due to a lower-body injury | NHL News

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk missed Florida’s game against the Seattle Kraken due to a lower-body injury. Tkachuk experienced discomfort during the 4 Nations Face-Off and was limited to 6:47 of ice time in the US’s 3-2 finals loss against Canada. Panthers coach Paul Maurice announced Tkachuk’s absence after the pregame morning skate. Maurice said Tkachuk will undergo more tests in the next two days before the Panthers determine the next steps.

Matthew Tkachuk missed Florida’s game against the Seattle Kraken due to a lower-body injury

Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk is out of Saturday’s game against Seattle Kraken due to a lower-body injury, announced by Panthers coach Paul Maurice after the pregame morning skate.
Tkachuk experienced discomfort during the 4 Nations Face-Off, leading the US to the tournament final. He was limited to 6:47 of ice time in the US’s 3-2 loss against Canada. Maurice announced Tkachuk will undergo additional tests in the next two days before the Panthers decide on their next steps, as they face the Edmonton Oilers in their Stanley Cup Final rematch.
27-year-old Tkachuk has 22 goals and 35 assists for the Panthers this season, playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off alongside Canada’s Sam Bennett and Finland’s Aleksander Barkov, alongside Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart.
Internationally, Tkachuk has represented the United States at a U17 World Hockey Challenge, a U18 World Championship and at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where his team won a bronze medal.
In the 2021–22 and 2022–23 NHL seasons, Tkachuk was a top ten point-scorer in the league, registering 104 and 109 points, respectively. In 2023, Tkachuk was named a finalist for the NHL’s Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Tkachuk won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2024.
Tkachuk helped the United States win gold at the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge held in Nova Scotia. He also competed at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships, where in seven games he registered ten assists (tops in the tournament), leading the U.S. under-18 team to a gold medal win.
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At the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, held in Helsinki, Tkachuk and Auston Matthews each scored 11 points to lead the American team in scoring. After losing in the semi-finals, the U.S. defeated Sweden to claim the bronze medal.