Matthew Tkachuk has certainly made his mark in South Florida.
Just two years ago, Tkachuk was so significantly injured during the Panthers` Stanley Cup Final loss to the Golden Knights that he required assistance getting dressed for games. The following season, he was instrumental in helping the franchise secure its first championship, capping off the team`s transformation that began with his trade from Calgary in the summer of 2022.
Considering he missed the final 25 regular-season games due to what appeared to be a groin injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off, Tkachuk has earned some understanding if his game isn`t currently at peak performance. While he has accumulated 17 points in 19 playoff games, he has been less prominent during play compared to his two previous postseason runs with the Panthers. (He does, however, continue to be disruptive after the whistle.)
In Friday`s 5-4 double-overtime victory against the Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Tkachuk did not register a shot on goal. This was the sixth time he has failed to do so this spring. In contrast, he had only two games without a shot across his combined 44 playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.
After scoring 17 goals over the Panthers` last two playoff pushes, including six game-winning goals, Tkachuk has netted only five in 19 games this year. He went through a 10-game scoring drought that spanned from the first round into the beginning of the third round, which was tied for the fifth-longest dry spell of his nine-year professional career (including regular season and playoffs).
Tkachuk`s effectiveness in generating scoring chances has notably declined year-over-year. His rate of 1.37 chances per game ranks 103rd among 215 skaters who have played at least 100 minutes this postseason, and eighth on the Panthers roster. Last postseason, Tkachuk ranked 22nd out of 193 qualified 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 constant on the Panthers` power play, receiving nearly four minutes per game in that situation.
Four of Tkachuk`s five goals this year have come from the inner slot area, but he has only been credited with eight shots on net from that prime location (averaging 0.42 per game). In the previous two postseasons, Tkachuk averaged 1.05 inner-slot shots over 44 games, scoring 10 goals from there.
“If it goes in, it goes in. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’ve never cared,” Tkachuk told reporters before the start of the Stanley Cup Final. “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 key aspect of Tkachuk`s game, his physical play, has also been less evident. The NHL statistics show him being credited with 7.44 hits per 60 minutes this postseason, a decrease from 9.73 last year. He recorded three hits through the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final.
Even with a slight dip in Tkachuk`s individual contributions, the Panthers have performed effectively during his time on the ice at 5-on-5, outscoring opponents 15-9 and generating 56.8% of the expected goals. Tkachuk was on the ice for three of Florida`s five 5-on-5 goals against Edmonton, including providing a screen on Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner for defenceman Dmitry Kulikov`s second-period goal on Friday.
While his personal numbers aren`t as high as in past postseasons, Matthew Tkachuk continues to influence the game in significant ways for the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. His ability to contribute despite current struggles could still be a deciding factor in the series.
Duncan Priestley