Although Matthew Tkachuk had jut one goal in six conference finals games, the Panthers star is a crucial part of Florida's Stanley Cup hopes.
FORT LAUDERDALE — Matthew Tkachuk received a question on Tuesday, asking if his blood started boiling when he crossed the city limits into Edmonton.
Tkachuk, a former star for the Oilers’ Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames, has since traded in his hatred for Edmonton to take up a grudge against Florida’s rival, Tampa (who the Panthers dispatched in the first round). So he shrugged off his old rivalry.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t say that,” Tkachuk said. “Any time you’re playing any opponent in the Stanley Cup Final, you don’t even have to have a team rivalry or any rivalry with them. Right when the puck drops, it’s going to be very intense like we’ve had that rivalry for years. We’re very experienced, going back to last year, in this moment right now. The Stanley Cup Final, there’s so much on the line, I’m sure teams will go after it pretty good early.”
But the Florida star will have another chance to torment his old rivals in the coming days as the Panthers start their second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance with Game 1 vs. the Oilers on Saturday night.
“It’s a great environment to play in up there,” Tkachuk said. “They’re all into it. It’s probably the biggest thing to happen in Canada in (20) years or whatever. … Twenty years since they’ve been back in the finals since ’06. … They’ve been waiting for it for 20 years, so I’m sure it’s going to be a great atmosphere. Something that we’re looking forward to going up and seeing.
“It feels like we haven’t been to Canada in forever here, so get the passports ready.”
As good as Tkachuk has been since arriving in Sunrise, he has not been filling up the scoresheet lately. He had one goal and four assists in six games against the Rangers. He has 19 total points in the postseason, which is sixth in the league.
As Florida coach Paul Maurice mentioned Wednesday, four players on Edmonton’s high-powered offense have more points than him, even though Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring.
Despite a relative dearth of scoring lately, Tkachuk has numerous ways to help the Panthers.
“Forechecking, controlling the puck, poised plays, he’ll block a shot, he’ll dive to get a puck out of the zone, the intangibles in the room,” Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “He’s a voice … and he’s an experienced voice who’s been through a lot in a short period so far. He’s done a lot of great things. He’s scored a lot of clutch goals. We believe in him as a leader.”
Maurice credited Tkachuk for his discipline. The star forward cut his penalty minutes from 123 last year to 88 this season, and he has spent 19 minutes in the box this postseason after racking up a league-leading 74 playoff penalty minutes last season.
“He’s just not in the penalty box anymore,” Maurice said. “I would say straight through November and into January last year, he was. He was the Tasmanian Devil out there, spent a lot of time in the dog pound. He is just not now.”
If the Panthers are going to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, Tkachuk will almost certainly need to play a large role. His postseason heroics the last two years have shown he is up to the task. But what is already certain is that Florida would not be back in the Final if not for him.
“He’s a leader in there,” Maurice said. “So the culture and the shape of our team, he has a major impact in that.”
