Matthew Tkachuk returned to the Florida Panthers' lineup Tuesday in triumphant fashion, registering two power-play goals and three points in a 6-2 Game 1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"You miss competing," Tkachuk said, according to Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson. "You miss the fans, the energy, the emotion, the battles with the other team, the chirps on your own bench. It's just so much stuff that you miss."
Tkachuk missed the last 25 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury he sustained while playing at the 4 Nations Face-Off with Team USA. Only Jesper Boqvist played less than Tkachuk's 11:43 among Panthers players in Game 1.
Florida put six goals past Lightning star netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy on just 16 shots. The Panthers' power play went a perfect 3-for-3, with Tkachuk contributing on each goal with the man advantage.
Tkachuk pointed to Florida's depth as a key aspect to the Panthers' success.
"(The Lightning are) such a great team," Tkachuk said. "It's going to take everybody to play against them. I thought that's kind of where our depth shows in rolling over teams and just playing hard each and every shift. You have guys that are being really physical, chipping pucks. We know the recipe of how we need to play, and I thought our depth really showed it. Everybody was really good, and we're all playing the same game right now. It's good to see."
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice praised Tkachuk's impact as a "difference-maker."
"That's what he is for us," Maurice told ESPN's Emily Kaplan mid-game. "He's got an incredible set of hands, got an incredible gift for the emotional needs of a game. When you need a hit, when you need a big play. He's been great for us."
Game 2 in Florida is Thursday at 6:30 pm ET.