TAMPA, Fla. -- Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk took the ice for pregame warmups with his teammates and returned for Tuesday night's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday morning that Tkachuk's availability would be determined after warmups but when the forward took the ice with the club, there were no extra skaters, meaning he had a place in the lineup.
Tkachuk, 27, is slated to play on a line with Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, the latter of which he has never skated with for Florida. Marchand, one of the most notable names of the NHL trade deadline this season, was acquired from the Boston Bruins during Tkachuk's absence.
Tkachuk has been sidelined since sustaining a groin injury on Feb. 15 while playing for the United States during the 4 Nations Face-Off. He returned to action five days later and logged 6:47 of ice time in the Americans' 3-2 loss to Canada in the championship game.
He totaled 22 goals and 57 points in 52 games this season for the Panthers before the injury. This is his third season in Florida, and the first two both featured runs to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.