Tkachuk hasn’t played for the Panthers since suffering a groin injury in February’s 4 Nations Face-Off. He said his “goal” is to rejoin practice this week, but his return to game action will hinge on what day the postseason starts.

That was the message from Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice following the final game of Florida's regular season, which took place on Tuesday night in Tampa Bay. For the past several weeks, the Florida's plan has been to have the team as physically healthy as possible when the postseason arrives.

The Panthers have six days between the end of the regular season and the start of their first-round of the playoffs against Tampa Bay. They are hoping star Matthew Tkachuk will have enough time to