Panthers Coach Confident in Tkachuk’s Recovery Amid Injury Concern

The Florida Panthers are not overly concerned about Matthew Tkachuk’s lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice said Monday.

Tkachuk, who has 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games, is being evaluated by the team’s medical staff. Maurice mentioned that they expect to have more clarity on his recovery timeline later in the day.

“We have a pretty good sense of the situation,” Maurice said after practice. “We just need to ensure that everyone reviewing the images sees the same thing. We prefer to stay vague before receiving the full medical report because there’s always a possibility of something unexpected. But we don’t believe that’s the case here. We’re not concerned.”

Tkachuk sustained the injury while representing the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He exited the final 12:36 of the third period against Canada on Feb. 15 and did not play against Sweden on Feb. 17. He started in the championship game against Canada on Feb. 22 but was limited to 6:47 of ice time and did not appear in the third period or overtime of the 3-2 loss.

Maurice also noted that Florida (34-21-3) is planning a roster adjustment ahead of their matchup against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET). However, this move is unrelated to Tkachuk’s status. Forward Eetu Luostarinen will miss the game as he remains home with his wife, who is expecting their first child.

Detroit Red Wings
Andrew Copp (undisclosed injury) has been placed on injured reserve and will not join the Red Wings for their game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET).

The forward suffered the injury in the second period of Detroit’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild on Saturday and was unavailable for Sunday’s 5-4 overtime victory against the Anaheim Ducks. There is currently no set timeline for his return.

“We will have a clearer picture tomorrow, but it seems like this could take longer than we initially thought,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said after practice Monday.

Copp has recorded 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 56 games this season.

Additionally, Michael Rasmussen (undisclosed injury) will not play Tuesday after being injured in a hit by Ducks forward Trevor Zegras during the second period. Zegras has since been suspended for three games by the NHL Department of Player Safety.

With these injuries, the Red Wings (29-22-6) have recalled center Sheldon Dries from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.