Colby Guy
Matthew Tkachuk is back to his old tricks after a slow start to the 2023-24 season.
Tkachuk snapped a nine-game goal drought with goals in his past two games — including Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
But Tkachuk’s impact has been even when he has not been scoring.
Since the Florida Panthers began their six-game winning streak on Dec. 23, Tkachuk has two goals and eight points and has been playing some of his best hockey on both ends of the ice.
Tkachuk has 30 points in 38 games after scoring 109 in 80 last season.
“I would say his game against Vegas [on Dec. 23] was one of his best of the year,” coach Paul Maurice said last week. “He was just really dynamic.
“He’s been good defensively for us all year, but now it’s looking like there’s a little more action. I think Sam Bennett came off his injury and it took a while for him to get going, and I think it took him a little while for him to get back going. …
“I think they have a lot more to give, but I think good things will happen for them.”
From the time Bennett returned from his lower-body injuries until the streak started, Tkachuk had just two goals and nine points in 19 games.
Bennett added four goals and nine points of his own during that stretch.
But since the winning streak started on Dec. 23, both Tkachuk and Bennett have looked like themselves in the tough areas, resulting in more offense for the whole line.
“It took us a little bit of time to get into a rhythm again, but we love playing with each other,” Bennett said.
“There are so many different things we do well, so it’s just a matter of time to get that confidence back with each other, and I like the way that our line is playing right now.”
Carter Verhaeghe was the clear driver of that line early on, scoring 10 of his 20 goals during Bennett and Tkachuk’s dry spell, but the offense has been more accessible since his linemates caught their stride.
Verhaeghe has five goals and 10 points in six games during the Panthers’ winning streak and is on pace for his second-straight 40-goal season.
“He’s been great,” Bennett said.
“He’s got one of the deadliest shots in the league, so we’re always encouraging him to shoot the puck, and they’ve been going in.”
Tkachuk is far off pace from repeating his 41-goal campaign from last season, but he looks closer to 100 percent after a slow start.
Don’t forget, Tkachuk was coming off a fractured sternum he sustained while willing the Panthers to the lone Stanley Cup Final win in franchise history in Game 3 of the Final.
But he had a vintage two-point performance against that same team on Thursday, with his line providing the punch the Panthers needed to down the defending champs despite the absence of Sasha Barkov and Evan Rodrigues.
“Y’all saw him last year, he’s awesome,” Carter Verhaeghe said.
“He is such a great player. He has so much tenacity on the puck and he is so easy to play with. I love playing with him. He makes such good passes, he is so composed with the puck and a lot of times, you just have to get the puck down low to him and he will make a really good play.
“The goals haven’t been there as much as last year, but he’s getting a ton of chances and he is helping our team tremendously.”