RECAP: Tkachuk's five points power Panthers past Lightning

SUNRISE, Fla. --Picking up right where he left off after winning MVP honors at the 2023 NHL All-Star Game on the same ice on Saturday, Matthew Tkachuk racked up five points to lead the Florida Panthers to a 7-1 beatdown of the Tampa Bay Lightning at FLA Live Arena on Monday.

Finishing just one point short of matching the franchise record for most points in a single game, Tkachuk's five points are the second-most ever by a player in their first game back after being named MVP of the All-Star Game, trailing only Mario Lemieux's six-point showing in 1987-88.
"He's been elite all year," Panthers forward Eric Staal said of Tkachuk, who leads the team with 71 points (27 goals, 44 assists). "I love all aspects of his attitude, how he approaches the game. This was a big game. He knew it, and he came to play. He was obviously a huge player for us."
Lighting the fuse of the scoring explosion, Tkachuk sauced a pass over a diving defender onto the stick of Carter Verhaeghe for a one-timer to put Florida on top 1-0 at 8:04 of the first period.
With the action at 4-on-4 to start the second period, the Panthers doubled their lead when Sam Bennett, who was left all alone in front of Tampa Bay's net, took a pass from Tkachuk and sent a quick shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy from right on top of the blue paint to make it 2-0 at 1:42.
Getting the Lightning on the board soon after, Nikita Kucherov, who teamed up with Tkachuk for the Atlantic Division at the All-Star Game, threaded a shot through traffic to make it 2-1 at 3:02.
Picking up his third point of the contest, Tkachuk showed off his otherworldly hands when he batted a floating puck out of the air past Vasilevsky from the doorstep to make it 3-1 at 8:40.

"I just tried to get a little piece of it," Tkachuk said.
Injured during the middle frame while blocking a shot, captain Aleksander Barkov left the ice and did not return for the Panthers. Following the game, head coach Paul Maurice said that the injury isn't expected to be serious, with more information to come after Tuesday's practice.
"Couldn't come back," Maurice said of Barkov, who's tied for second on the team with 47 points (14 goals, 33 assists). "Probably won't skate tomorrow, but we don't think this is going to be long-term. Tomorrow I'll give you a better idea, but there's a good chance he plays next game."
Creating a nice cushion for the Panthers heading into the second intermission, Eetu Luostarinen tipped in a shot from Brandon Montour to make it 4-1 at 17:56. The longest point streak ever by a defenseman in franchise history, Montour has cracked the scoresheet in 10 straight games.
In the third period, the Panthers didn't let up.
After Staal took advantage of a miscue by Vasilevskiy and tucked in a goal to make it 5-1 at 2:53, Verhaeghe one-timed another pass from Tkachuk to make it 6-1 at 5:26. Increasing his team-leading goal total to 28, Verhaeghe has lit the lamp nine times in his last nine games.
"He has the confidence of a shooter," Maurice said of Verhaeghe. "We shot the puck well tonight. … I thought our mentality of pucks to the net at the right time was the best part of that game for us. He's a big part of that. It's on his stick, and he knows."
Putting a bow on his big game, Tkachuk added one more goal for good measure when he deftly re-directed a smooth pass from Bennett into the cage on the power play to make it 7-1 at 14:23.
Not to be lost in the midst of all those goals, Sergei Bobrovsky was outstanding in his return to the net for the Panthers. Making his first appearance since a lower-body injury knocked him out of the lineup on Jan. 19, he turned aside 32 of 33 shots against Tampa Bay's lethal attackers.
Improving to 25-22-6, Florida now sits just one point out of a playoff spot.
"It's definitely a great feeling," said Bobrovsky, who's gone 6-2-1 over his last 10 appearances. "It's a great two points for us. It's huge. I thought the guys did a great job from start to finish. We beat a really good team. It's big for us. We have to build from it."

CATS QUOTES

"When it's 7-1 you think the goalie wasn't a factor, but he was a factor. There was a tip early in that first that he got his pad out on. Real big on the penalty kill, the breakaway on just kind of a broken play. The right saves at the right time are so critical." - Paul Maurice on Sergei Bobrovsky's performance
"Huge. Obviously we had a couple of our big guys playing well. We needed this win. Hopefully that can continue to propel us forward the rest of this stretch drive. This is a fun time of year. It's the best time to play hockey. A good win tonight." - Eric Staal on the playoff push

CATS NOTES

• Matthew Tkachuk's 71 points are already the second-most by a player in their first season with the Panthers.
  - Brandon Montour's 10-game point streak is the third-longest by a defenseman in the NHL this season.
  - Gustav Forsling blocked a team-high four shots.
  - The line of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe was a combined +13.
  - Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 of 31 shots at even strength.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Panthers (25-22-6) will continue their homestand with a matchup against the San Jose Sharks (15-25-11) at FLA Live Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
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