The Florida Panthers are limping into the playoffs, and the timing couldn’t be worse.
The defending Stanley Cup champs are dealing with a perfect storm of problems just as the postseason approaches. Their aggressive, hard-hitting style has taken its toll.
Star forward Matthew Tkachuk is stuck on long-term injured reserve. That’s a huge blow to Florida’s offense – he’s been out since the 4 Nations Face-Off and his return timeline isn’t clear.
It gets worse. Sam Bennett, one of their most physical centers, is listed as day-to-day. He’s already missed two games, and his absence really hurts their forechecking game.
The blue line isn’t looking much better. Top defenseman Aaron Ekblad is suspended and will miss the start of the playoffs. Veteran D-man Dmitry Kulikov has also been sidelined for a while.
Teams never want to use injuries as an excuse in the playoffs. It’s just part of hockey – everyone’s banged up by this point in the 82-game season. But the Panthers are facing more challenges than most.
They’re still likely to finish third in the Atlantic Division, which means they’ll probably face either Tampa Bay or Toronto in the first round. That’s a tough matchup even with a healthy roster.
The big question now: Can the Panthers get healthy enough to defend their title when the Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off on April 19?
