Matthew Tkachuk's injury not season-ending, Panthers coach says

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice announced Monday that star winger Matthew Tkachuk is still being evaluated for the lower-body injury he sustained at the 4 Nations Face-Off but quelled speculation Tkachuk could miss the rest of the season.

"There's a possibility it's not too serious, but there is a possibility it is a bit longer term," Maurice said on radio Monday, according to team reporter Jameson Olive. "Even with that, he's playing for us this year."

Tkachuk was hurt in USA's round-robin tilt against Canada. He sat out the next game against Sweden and was limited to 6:47 of ice time in the championship game loss to Canada.

The Panthers were without Tkachuk for their first game back from the break, a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Florida is one point back of first place in the Atlantic Division, with one more game played than the leading Toronto Maple Leafs.

Tkachuk ranks second on the Panthers with 57 points while averaging more than 18 minutes per night this season.