Matthew Tkachuk Injured in Collision with Kucherov

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk suffered a lower-body injury following a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov during their game on Monday night. Kucherov was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for the incident, which occurred towards the end of the first period. Despite the severity of the collision, Tkachuk, a critical player for the Panthers, returned to the ice in the second period, joining his team during a power play. The Lightning were leading 3-0 at the end of the first period, with Kucherov having scored the opening goal before his ejection. Tkachuk is a key player for the Panthers, standing second on the team with 35 points this season. This encounter marked the second game in a back-to-back series, with the Panthers having won the previous night.