Panthers star needed help out of bed, getting dressed before Stanley Cup Final game

Panthers coach Paul Maurice shared that Tkachuk needed help getting dressed ahead of Game 4.

"He'll heal fine from it," Maurice said of Tkachuk's injury, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "He got into the next game because he is so smart and can find a way around the ice. I think he had three of our best chances in that game when he couldn't do things he could do to finish. The next day [after Game 4] when he came in, he was in significant pain. So, there wasn't really a question of whether he would be able to play or not. The idea was if we let it calm, maybe we could get him to Game 7."

Tkachuk was traded to Florida in July 2022 after spending the first six seasons of his career with the Calgary Flames, making one All-Star team. The 25-year-old earned his second All-Star honor during his first campaign with the Panthers and finished the regular season with a team-leading 69 assists and 109 points while finishing second in goals with 40.

Tkachuk carried over his stellar play into Florida's stunning playoff run, leading the squad in goals (11) and points (26) during the tournament. He notched four game-winning scores, including three in overtime. One of Tkachuk's clutch goals came with less than five seconds left in the Panthers' Game 4 series clincher against the Carolina Hurricanes to send the team to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The 2016 No. 6 overall pick recorded just 16:40 of ice time in Game 4, yet still had four shots on goal.

Tkachuk's injury -- after a Game 3 hit from Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar -- initially resulted in his being placed in the concussion protocol, though he was cleared before Saturday's contest.