SUNRISE, Fla. - No. 19 is back.
Lacing up his skates for the first time this season, Matthew Tkachuk will return to the lineup for the first time since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final when the Florida Panthers (25-19-3) host the San Jose Sharks (24-20-3) at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
An important presence on and off the ice for the Panthers, Tkachuk has racked up 254 points (88G, 166A) in 211 regular-season games and 69 points (25G, 44A) in 67 playoff games over the past three seasons.
“I’m feeling great,” Tkachuk said following the team’s morning skate at Baptist Health IcePlex. “I’m just so excited to be back. It was a little over five months since the surgery, so just chomping at the bit to come back.”
Undergoing surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia in August, Tkachuk’s return couldn’t come at a more important time.
After their 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday at Capital One Arena, the Panthers (53 points) sit four points behind the Buffalo Sabres (57 points) for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
In the win, Uvis Balinskis found the back of the net for the second straight game and extended his point streak to three games.
“He’s been great,” Sam Bennett said of Balinskis. “He’s doing really nice there. It’s not easy to jump into a new spot mid-season, but he looks like he’s been there all year. Yeah, he’s made some great plays.”
Looking to split the season series and pick up two points for heading back on the road, the Panthers fell to the Sharks 3-1 on Nov. 8 in San Jose.
In the loss, the Panthers outshot the Sharks 39-23.
“I thought we were slow in our first game against them in the first period,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the Nov. 8 meeting. “Then we realized the speed of the game was going to be played up and we were really good in the next two periods. We need to be right there today at the start.”
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start.
The 37-year-old goaltender owns a 15-5-2 record, .934 save percentage, and 2.22 goals-against average in 22 career games against the Sharks.
Coming into town in the midst of a four-game road trip, the Sharks hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, and are even with the Seattle Kraken (51 points), who hold the tiebreaker for third spot in the Pacific Division.
Going 1-1-0 on the road trip so far, the Sharks fell 4-2 to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday at Little Caesars Arena.
Assisting on Will Smith’s first period goal, Macklin Celebrini continued his season hot streak.
Leading the way for the Sharks, the 19-year-old forward leads the team in goals (24), assists (48), points (72), and plus/minus rating (+14).
Not just on top in San Jose, Celebrini ranks second in assists and third in points in the entire league.
“He’s the most impressive young player I’ve seen in years,” Maurice said of the young Shark.
Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to get the start for San Jose.
Wins in his last three starts, Nedeljkovic has posted an 8-8-2 record, .891 save percentage, and 3.06 goals-against average this season.
THEY SAID IT
“Sam Reinhart has been brilliant for us.” – Paul Maurice on Sam Reinhart’s play this season
“It’s awesome. We’ve been waiting quite a while for this. To have him back, he’s a huge part of our team. Nothing but excitement from us right now.” – Carter Verhaeghe on Matthew Tkachuk’s return
“I told them to throw me in the fire. I’m not coming back just to dip my toes in the water.” – Matthew Tkachuk on return
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers rank third in shots per game (31.4) at home in the NHL
- Sam Reinhart has 10 points (5G, 5A) in nine games against the Sharks as a Panther
- Carter Verhaeghe has notched multiple points in three of the last four games (2G, 5A)
- A.J. Greer has three goals in the last three games
- Aaron Ekblad is one point away from 400 career points
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – A.J. Greer
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – Matthew Tkachuk
Sandis Vilmanis – Cole Scwhindt – Jesper Boqvist
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Tobias Bjornfot – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 19: F Noah Gregor loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 16: D Uvis Balinskis agrees to terms on two-year contract extension commencing in 2026-27
- Jan. 10: F Sandis Vilmanis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 4: D Tobias Bjornfot was recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Monday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 FM HD-2 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 220/App & Streaming 931
Tickets:Click Here
