Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk provides injury update while appearing on ‘The Tonight Show’
Florida Panthers star winger Matthew Tkachuk didn’t make the trip to Nashville for their game on Tuesday against the Predators while he deals with an injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Tkachuk did, however, make his way to New York City on Monday to make an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The focus of his four-and-a-half-minute appearance was on the 4 Nations Face-Off, but Tkachuk did provide an update on his injury while on the show.
“I’m feeling better,” Tkachuk said. “Just recovering right now. But the last two weeks, representing my country, is something I’ll never forget.”
Tkachuk is not with the Panthers because of a lower-body injury, believed to be to his groin, sustained during the United States’ 3-1 win over Canada on Feb. 15 — his second game of the tournament. He didn’t play the final 12:36 of that game, which secured the United States’ spot in the championship game and during which he led a run of three fights in the opening nine seconds. With the USA already locked into the title game, Tkachuk then sat out the round-robin finale against Sweden on Feb. 17 entirely.
In the championship game on Thursday, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime, Tkachuk played just 6:47 and finished his final shift with 3:22 left in the second period.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice on Monday said he expects Tkachuk to return at some point this season. Florida has 24 games left on its schedule before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin.
Tkachuk was supposed to go through his final major round of testing and evaluations on Monday.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea where it’s at,” Maurice said after the Panthers’ practice late Monday morning before the team flew to Nashville and Tkachuk went to New York. “We just need to make sure that everybody looks at the pictures the same way. I don’t have that concern [that it’s season ending]. ... We’re vague on all these before we get the report because there’s always a chance of everything, right? There always could be something unusual in one of these. But I don’t think it is. I’m not worried about it.”
Other guests on the show Monday included Chelsea Handler and Billy Crudup as well as a performance from Waxahatchee.
Clips from Tkachuk’s appearance on the show can be seen below:
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