Matthew Tkachuk strikes quickly for Panthers in Game 1 victory over the Lightning

APNews - 03:32
Matthew Tkachuk returned to the lineup and was back to his old self quickly for the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Matthew Tkachuk was back for the first time in more than two months.

He was not rusty. And the Florida Panthers rolled in their playoff opener.

Playing for the first time in more than two months after dealing with a lower-body injury, Tkachuk scored two second-period goals in his return game for the Panthers in their Eastern Conference first-round series opener at Tampa Bay. Florida went on to win 6-2, the outcome never in doubt after that second-period flurry by the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

Tkachuk finished with two goals and an assist, the fifth three-point game of his playoff career.

“It was a long two months away,” Tkachuk said in a televised postgame interview. “You miss everything, but you just miss competing, on the ice, in the locker room with the guys, just going through it all. I misse...
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