Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 21 points as they regroup after Monday night's 3-5 loss to Detroit.
That loss ended a three-game winning streak and sent Paul Maurice's team into Wednesday's home game against the Blackhawks at 8-5-2. Florida has done it all season without Aleksander Barkov, who has played only 2 games and is listed on IR with a knee injury, expected out until at least Nov 27.
So who is scoring? Tkachuk has 4 goals and 17 assists in 15 games, and he's the one setting the table. Seth Jones is right behind with 16 assists and 18 points, which is why we wrote that the Panthers were leaning on Matthew Tkachuk and Seth Jones before the Detroit game.
Monday was a quiet one for both. Jones logged 27:23 with no points and a -1, and Tkachuk added one assist.
Then there's Brady Tkachuk, who has 16 points on 8 goals and 8 assists. He's also at -3 with 17 penalty minutes, so the production comes with some mess attached.
Sam Reinhart has 13 points, 8 of them goals, and 6 of those goals have come on the power play. That's the special-teams edge the Panthers have leaned on while the five-on-five scoring has been uneven. He scored again Monday and had 3 shots on goal.
Carter Verhaeghe also has 13 points with 8 goals, and 2 of his goals have been game-winners. He's a +4 on the year, the best rating among the main scorers.
Why the Panthers' scoring is so top-heavy
Look at the names above and one thing jumps out: this is a team living off a short list of skaters. With Barkov out, the top of the lineup has to produce every night, and Monday showed what happens when it's merely good instead of great.
The standings reflect that. Florida is 12th in the NHL and 5th in the Atlantic, with 47 goals for, 44 against and a +3 goal differential. That's a thin cushion.
Chicago arrives at the other end of the table. The Blackhawks are 4-10-1, 31st in the league, and they've lost three straight, including a 2-5 loss to Colorado on Monday. They're 0-5-1 on the road and have given up 58 goals.
Florida is 3-2-0 at home, and this is the kind of game a team with this many point producers should win comfortably. Anything less would be a real problem for a group that just let a winning streak slip. Even a win doesn't change the bigger issue, because Barkov isn't expected back before Nov 27 at the earliest.
Is Matthew Tkachuk the Panthers' MVP while Barkov is out?
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