Overview
- Head coach Paul Maurice confirmed Matthew Tkachuk will not play Friday against the Rangers despite returning to practices in a yellow no-contact jersey following August surgery for a torn abductor and sports hernia.
- Aleksander Barkov briefly skated in the Winter Classic jersey with a brace on his right knee and posed for the team photo, but he remains months away from game action.
- Florida, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion, is 21-15-3 and sits one point behind Buffalo for the final Eastern Conference wild-card position.
- The Panthers expect forward Jonah Gadjovich and defenseman Dmitri Kulikov to return at some point after the February Olympic break.
- In a separate development, Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson missed a game with an upper-body injury likely linked to an elbow from Panthers forward Brad Marchand, who was penalized on the play and received no supplemental discipline.