Tkachuk limited for Panthers in 3rd period of Game 4 loss in Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Matthew Tkachuk was in his familiar spot on the ice in the final seconds of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final when the Florida Panthers unsuccessfully tried to tie the score.

For most of the third period, though, he was stuck on the bench because of an injury where all he could do was cheer on his teammates.

Tkachuk was limited to four shifts in the third in a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at FLA Live Arena, at one time going 10:41 without a shift.

After leaving the ice at 4:18, he didn't return until the 14:59 mark. But he was on the ice for the final 2:26 when Florida played with an extra attacker and was on the power play for the final 17.4 seconds.

"Yeah, obviously you want to be out there playing," he said, "but (I) just was able to go out there at the end and tried to make some magic happen late but ran out of time."

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Tkachuk declined to discuss the nature of his injury, and it's unclear what happened. He missed some time in Game 3 to be evaluated for a concussion following a hit from Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar but eventually returned and scored the game-tying goal at 17:47 of the third in a 3-2 overtime victory.

"Well, Matthew has been a grinder his whole life and he was again tonight," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "We were just hoping to get into a situation where he could use what he had to give us and hoping to get on the power play a little earlier, I guess. And certainly at the end of the game."

Maurice said Tkachuk's status for Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS) would be assessed after the team has the next two days off.

Tkachuk was in front of the net in the frantic final seconds of Game 4 but couldn't get the puck until the clock ran out, his shot stopped by goalie Adin Hill coming after time expired.

"Just trying to find a way to go out there and make it work tonight and came up just probably a second short," Tkachuk said. "Time ran out there with me and (Sam Bennett) whacking away, so two more seconds there, you never know."

Along with Tkachuk playing 46 seconds in the first 14:59 of the third period, the Panthers were without forward Anthony Duclair for the first 8:14.

Because of those injuries, four of their forwards played at least eight minutes in the third, topped by Sam Reinhart's 9:18.

"I think any team would tell you if you took some of their best players out of the lineup, they are not as good a team," said forward Carter Verhaeghe, who played 8:17 in the third. "I am sure if you took their best players out, they are not as good a team either. It is tough. Tough way to have to play."

The Panthers came close to being able to send the game to overtime after falling behind 3-0 in the second period, showing the kind of resiliency that became their trademark in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tkachuk said he believed they could get it done again, even as he was being reduced to the role of spectator for a good portion of the final period.

"We have all the confidence in the world," he said. "The guys that were going out there were doing an unreal job. I had the best seat in the house for most of it. So, just trying to encourage the guys to keep them going."