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Florida Panthers Issue Injury Updates On Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad

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Florida Panthers stars Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad both played through significant injuries during the team’s playoff run, head coach Paul Maurice said after their season-ending 9-3 loss in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final last night.

It was obvious Tkachuk had sustained an injury in Game 3 after taking a hard open-ice hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar during the first period, which Maurice said was a broken sternum. Tkachuk still managed to log 19 shifts, 16:40 of ice time, and 14 penalty minutes in Game 4.

Ekblad, on the other hand, had a much longer list of ailments that will need attention over the offseason. Per Maurice, the 27-year-old defender sustained a broken foot during the team’s first-round victory over the Boston Bruins and later suffered two separate shoulder dislocations and a torn oblique muscle.

Both Ekblad and Tkachuk missed just one game during the playoffs, of which the Panthers lost both. Ekblad missed Game 4 against Boston with what was at the time termed an undisclosed injury, although it seems likely the broken foot kept him out of action. Tkachuk couldn’t go for last night’s Game 5, with Maurice having this to say on their decision-making process:

[Tkachuk] didn’t dress himself for the game. Somebody helped him get his gear on, somebody tied his skates, somebody put his sweater on. But the next day when he came in, he was in significant pain. So it wasn’t really a question whether he’d be able to play [Game 5] or not. The idea would be to let it calm and we might be able to get him to get him to Game 7.

Maurice also said some Panthers players wouldn’t be healthy for the start of next season, although he didn’t name specifics. It’s a disappointing end to the season for Florida, but the immediate concern now lies with the long-term health of Tkachuk and Ekblad.

Tkachuk’s recovery from an injury he only played through for a game and a half should be rather straightforward. However, the Panthers now have to hope Ekblad’s lengthy injury history isn’t further exacerbated by any longer-term recovery complications from his foot or his oblique tear.

Matthew Tkachuk To Miss Game Five Of Stanley Cup Final

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06/13/23: Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Tkachuk is out for tonight’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that Tkachuk is dealing with a “serious upper-body injury,” meaning if the Panthers manage to extend the Stanley Cup Final to a sixth game, it’s possible Tkachuk misses that contest as well.

06/11/23: After a Game 4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Florida Panthers are regrouping and looking for answers as they try to be the first team to win a Stanley Cup Final after being down 3-1 since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. It appears the injury bug is finally taking a toll, as both Matthew Tkachuk and Anthony Duclair were clearly playing banged up in last night’s contest.

Head coach Paul Maurice provided no official update on Tkachuk and Duclair during media availability this morning, The Athletic’s Michael Russo said. However, he mentioned that both players would undergo rehabilitation and evaluation today while the rest of the team will travel back to Vegas.

It’s not a great sign – especially for Tkachuk, who was kept off the ice for an extended period last night after taking an open-ice hit from Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar in Game 3. It limited his ice time to just 16:40 in Game 4 despite the Panthers not holding a lead the entire game, his lowest of the Final aside from Game 2 when he received a 10-minute misconduct penalty during play.

Both players have multiple points in the Final but were held off the scoresheet in Game 4. Duclair did not come out for the start of the third period in Game 4 with an undisclosed injury but would later return.

Matthew Tkachuk Still Uncertain For Game 5

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Murphy had been on the Rangers’ staff only as long as Gallant had: two seasons. He was an internal promotion, though, spending two years with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack as an associate head coach from 2019 to 2021. The long-time NHL defender and father of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, Gord also spent lengthy stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant.

  • Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice offered no update on the status of star winger Matthew Tkachuk before tonight’s do-or-die Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Tkachuk has not practiced with the team since their Game 4 loss, and his availability for tonight remains up in the air after a hard hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar in Game 3. Already without the services of Eetu Luostarinen at forward as well, either Givani Smith or Grigori Denisenko could slot into the lineup tonight if Tkachuk can’t go. Smith played just over five minutes in one game during the First Round against Boston, while it would be Denisenko’s playoff debut.

Tkachuk Missing At Panthers Practice

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  • Having missed quite a bit of ice time during the Florida Panthers Game 4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that forward Matthew Tkachuk was not seen at the Panthers’ practice today. Because of the nature of hockey players, especially during the Stanley Cup playoffs, it should still be expected for Tkachuk to play in an incredibly important Game 5. Being the deepest the young forward has ever gone through the playoffs, Tkachuk has shown signs of wear and tear throughout the last couple of series.

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Florida Panthers Sign Ludovic Waeber

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The Florida Panthers are in crunch time, gearing up to keep their season alive tomorrow night in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. The front office is already looking toward the future, however, signing goaltender Ludovic Waeber today to a one-year, entry-level contract that will commence in the 2023-24 season.

Waeber, a 26-year-old netminder from Fribourg, Switzerland, spent the 2022-23 season with the ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League. After being the team’s starter for the two seasons prior, he slipped to a backup role behind Czech netminder Simon Hrubec. He still did well in a reduced role, however, recording two shutouts, a .914 save percentage, and a 2.50 goals-against average.

With Hrubec signing an extension with ZSC for next season, it makes sense that Waeber would look for opportunities elsewhere.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing 176 pounds, Waeber brings 115 games of NL experience to the Panthers, representing HC Fribourg-Gottéron from 2017 to 2020 and the ZSC Lions from 2020 to 2023. During the 2020-21 season, Waeber boasted a .918 save percentage, placing him fourth among NL goaltenders with at least 35 games played. What immediately jumps off the page on Waeber’s resume, though, is his .935 save percentage in 19 career NL postseason contests.

An undrafted free agent, Waeber represented Switzerland at the 2015 and 2016 Men’s World Juniors. Since then, he’s grown into one of the more highly-regarded goalies in the country, and he’ll look to make an impact professionally with Florida.

Likely destined for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers in 2023-24, Waeber provides a solid AHL starter option should late-season hero Alex Lyon sign elsewhere as a pending unrestricted free agent.

Panthers Notes: Hornqvist, Luostarinen, Gaber

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While Panthers winger Patric Hornqvist hasn’t played since early December before being shut down with post-concussion symptoms, the veteran told reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link) that isn’t ruling out trying to play next season.  Instead, he’ll think about it during the summer and decide after that time.  Hornqvist is participating in some on-ice activities with the team but won’t be back in this series while he also sits in on coaching meetings.  The 36-year-old is a veteran of 901 career NHL appearances over 15 seasons and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer when his five-year, $26.5MM contract comes to an end.  It seems that it will take a while yet before he decides if he’ll try to play a 16th campaign.

More from Florida:

  • Panthers head coach Paul Maurice confirmed to reporters including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (Twitter link) that forward Eetu Luostarinen will once again be out of the lineup tonight in the fourth game of the Stanley Cup Final. The 24-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury that he suffered last round against Carolina and has five points in 16 postseason appearances with all of his production coming in the opening round versus Boston.
  • One of the top college free agents will be attending Florida’s development camp next summer as Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that forward Riese Gaber will be in camp with the Panthers. The 23-year-old had 20 goals with the University of North Dakota this season but hasn’t signed an NHL deal yet and is expected to return for his senior year in 2023-24.  If things go well at camp for Gaber, Florida could get a leg up on other teams looking to sign him in college free agency in 2024.

Radko Gudas Expected To Play In Game 3

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It appears the Florida Panthers won’t be without Radko Gudas in their lineup for too long. After leaving Game 2 (which he was already doubtful for with a separate injury) of the Stanley Cup Final after a hard hit from Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice expects Gudas to be ready for Game 3 tomorrow night.

Both Gudas and winger Eetu Luostarinen, who hasn’t played at all in this series, were absent from Panthers practice this morning. Luostarinen isn’t expected to return for Game 3 but remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Box stats say Gudas has only played a marginal role in Florida’s storybook run, playing just 17 minutes a game and registering three assists, but his physical style and game-changing hits have propelled the Panthers to some key moments in this postseason. That’s not to discount his actual defensive play — which has been, along with his partner Josh Mahura, the best of Florida’s three usual pairings.

Radko Gudas Won’t Return To Game 2

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The Score is reporting that Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas won’t be returning to game 2 tonight after taking a reverse hit in the first period from Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev. There was no penalty on the play and Gudas immediately went down the tunnel after leaving the ice.

Florida had elected to dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for the game tonight as Gudas was nursing a lingering issue and wasn’t 100%. Casey Fitzgerald drew into the lineup to supplant Gudas even before the hit in the first period. It’s no wonder Gudas is hurting as he leads the playoffs with 79 hits thus far to go along with his three assists in 17 games.

Gudas celebrated his 33rd birthday today and given the current score of tonight’s game and his current injury status, it couldn’t have been the birthday the Czech native was hoping for when he woke up this morning. Florida has made little known about Gudas at this time, but given the way these injuries have been dealt with in these playoffs it is likely that Gudas will be re-evaluated tomorrow before any new news is released.

PHR Playoff Primer: Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights

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With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs now underway, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? Our Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage concludes with the Stanley Cup Finals matchup between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights.

Before the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals get underway, we know that one franchise will win its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The last time this was true was back in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

For the Golden Knights, this will be their second Cup Final in six years, already becoming one of the most successful expansion franchises in the history of the league. Going on a Cinderella run for seemingly the entire year of their inception, the current iteration of the team has much more star talent than their last Finals appearance.

The Florida Panthers, a year removed from winning the President’s Trophy as the top regular season team, have mirrored the Golden Knights’ Cinderella run from six years ago. The last team to find a spot in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Panthers knocked off this year’s President’s Trophy winner, the Boston Bruins, followed up by knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

Regular Season Performance

Vegas: 51-22-9, 111 points, +43 goal differential
Florida: 42-32-8, 92 points, +17 goal differential

Head-To-Head

January 12, 2023: Vegas 4, Florida 2
March 7, 2023: Florida 2, Vegas 1

Season series tied 1-1-0

Team Storylines

In terms of offense, there are names that stick out immediately for both teams: Matthew Tkachuk for the Panthers, and Jack Eichel for Vegas. In 16 games for Tkachuk, the new pride of Florida has scored nine goals and 12 assists, including a whopping four game-winners. Already having four years of playoff experience under his belt with the Calgary Flames, this has been far and above Tkachuk’s best performance after the regular season.

Unlike Tkachuk, getting his first taste of NHL playoff action after many years spent with the rebuilding Buffalo Sabres, Eichel has shown exactly why he would have been a first-overall selection in any draft not featuring Connor McDavid. In 17 games played this postseason, Eichel has scored six goals and 12 assists, showing incredible prowess on Vegas’ powerplay.

Aside from their primary offensive weapon in Tkachuk, Florida has four other players that have scored over 10 points in this year’s playoffs, including Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett. Vegas, on the other hand, has a total of six players that have scored over 10 points, including Jonathan Marchessault, Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Chandler Stephenson, and Reilly Smith.

On defense, Florida’s primary defenseman in this year’s playoffs, and throughout much of the year has been Brandon Montour. Having a complete breakout year in the regular season, scoring 73 points in 80 games, Montour has kept up his excellent play throughout the playoffs. In 16 games, he’s scored six goals and three assists while averaging almost 28 minutes a night for the Panthers. If having a defenseman of Montour’s status wasn’t good enough, Florida also has the first-overall selection of the 2014 NHL Draft, Aaron Ekblad, in the midst, also carrying the ability to make big plays and eat steady minutes on the back end.

Clearly the best defenseman in Vegas, and arguably the top defenseman in this year’s playoffs, is Alex Pietrangelo. Although receiving a one-game suspension after slashing Edmonton Oilers’ all-star Leon Draisaitl, Pietrangelo has scored nine points in 16 games, averaging around 24 minutes a night for the Golden Knights. Carrying a rating of +8 up to this point, Pietrangelo has also been a fantastic powerplay quarterback for Vegas.

In net, as much as fans might think there is a larger separation between the two in terms of name recognition, both Sergei Bobrovsky and Adin Hill are playing some of the best goaltending of their individual careers. In 14 games for Bobrovsky, he has managed an 11-2-0 record, carrying a .935 SV% and a 2.21 GAA. Surprisingly, posting slightly better numbers than Bobrovsky, Hill has a 7-3-0 record in 11 games played, posting a .937 SV% and a 2.07 GAA.

Prediction

An often-used trope is especially good when it’s true, and in terms of this series, it could go either way. Both team’s are leaning on their star players for scoring, but are also receiving plenty of depth scoring as well. Both teams have minute-munching defensemen that can lead on both sides of the puck, and both teams have goaltenders that are playing superbly between the pipes.

Although it’s difficult to find any separation between these two teams, the one big distinction would be the goal differential, where Vegas holds a +10 advantage over the Panthers in that category. However, goal differential or not, the Panthers also hold a very slight advantage in winning percentage. Vegas was able to shut down McDavid, Draisaitl, and Roope Hintz, while Florida was table to silence Sebastian Aho, Mitch Marner, and David Pastrnak.

In the end, much like we’ve seen in past Stanley Cup Finals, the hockey gods will always have their way, and the more they win, the more it seems fate is on the side of the Panthers this year. Tkachuk has held the weight of his performance, and as the emotional leader above his shoulders for Florida throughout the playoffs, and look for him to replace that weight with 34.5 pounds of silver and nickel when all is said and done.

Prediction: Panthers win in seven games.

Eetu Luostarinen Skating With Florida Panthers

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  • Tom Gulitti of NHL.com writes that Florida Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen is practicing with the team in Vegas ahead of game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals tomorrow night. Luostarinen was paired back up with his usual linemates Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell. The 24-year-old was injured in game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes but has yet to miss a game. Paul Maurice was quoted in The Hockey News on Monday saying that he expected Luostarinen to be ready for game 1 and things appear to be trending that way. Luostarinen has been a big part of the Panthers third line in this postseason putting up two goals and three assists in 16 games.

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