SUNRISE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk was right back on the ice Sunday, a day after winning MVP of the 2023 NHL All-Star Game at the end of a busy week as the league’s unofficial ambassador for its week-long Broward County spectacular. His Florida Panthers, sitting three points out of postseason position at the All-Star break, had too much work to do. There was no time for a day off.
A day later, he didn’t look like an All-Star in need of any time to refresh. Two days after he scored seven points in the NHL All-Star Game, Tkachuk was once again the best player on the ice Monday in Sunrise and powered his team to a potentially pivotal 7-1 rout against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tkachuk assisted on the Panthers’ first two goals, scored a dazzling second-period goal when he swatted a bouncing puck out of the air and past All-Star goaltender Andrei Vasiveskiy, and added another goal and assist in the third. Florida never trailed in one of its most complete performances of an often frustrating season.
