Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk lifted the lid Monday on the injury that sidelined him before the start of the postseason, saying he was "very lucky" to suit up for these playoffs.
"I didn't know if I was gonna come back at the start," he told the media, including Sportsnet. "I kinda found out the day before (the playoffs) that I was gonna have a chance to play - the day of, honestly."
He added, "I thought there was maybe a 50% chance I wouldn't be playing about a week or five days before playoffs. I'm very lucky and fortunate that I've got great trainers and doctors. They all somehow got me healthy enough to play."
Tkachuk missed the last 25 games of the regular season after suffering a lower-body injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He sat out of the United States' round-robin game against Sweden and was limited to just under seven minutes of ice time when he returned to the lineup for the final versus Canada.
Panthers general manager Bill Zito said in March that he hoped Tkachuk would be able to return for the postseason, and the hard-nosed forward was ready for Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He made an instant impact in Florida's playoff opener, tallying two goals and an assist, and ranked second on the team with five points in the series as the Panthers eliminated the Bolts in five games. However, Tkachuk admitted he wasn't at his best.
"The first round was definitely the worst I felt by far," he said. "Just knowing that was gonna be - other than this round (against the Edmonton Oilers) - our toughest round, playing Tampa. So I knew that even at nowhere close to what I expect out of myself, I needed to help out as best I (could) if we were gonna get by them. I was proud of myself and happy for playing that round."
Tkachuk went on to record four assists against the Toronto Maple Leafs before logging seven points in the Eastern Conference Final versus the Carolina Hurricanes.
He's since been a thorn in the side of the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final with two goals and six points in five outings, and Tkachuk thinks he's at the top of his game with the Panthers one win away from repeating as champions.
"I've had some ups and downs throughout the playoffs and now I'm feeling the best I've felt," he said. "Personally, I'm very happy with where (my) health is."
Game 6 is scheduled for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in Sunrise.
