The Florida Panthers fall to Sharks in emotional wild card setback
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Jonathan Ouimet
Jan 20, 2026 (10:56 PM)
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Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Florida Panthers Matthew Tkachuk return wild card chase heats up
Back home for one night, Florida got clipped 4-1 by the San Jose Sharks on Monday at Amerant Bank Arena.
It was the kind of loss that makes a fan stare at the standings a little too long after the horn.
At 25-20-3 with 53 points, the Panthers are four points back of the Buffalo Sabres for the second wild card spot.
Matthew Tkachuk basically said the quiet part out loud after, the push has to start now, not after the Olympic break, not at the trade deadline.
«We have enough games to take care of our own business, but it's got to start now, you don't want to be chasing after the Olympic break and into the trade deadline. It's too challenging. We got to get some points now. All these teams around us are going on runs. It's up to us to do the same.» Matthew Tkachuk said after the loss on Monday.
The good news was No 19 was finally back, making his season debut after summer surgery and months of rehab.
"I felt better as it went along. The first period was weird, I will say. It was a little strange. Nothing mimics a game. It was a weird, but in the second period I felt a little better. In the third, I felt pretty much back to normal.» Tkachuk said.
You could feel the building wake up for him, and the team's clips caught that vibe fast.
The hockey part went sideways in the second period when San Jose ripped three goals in 5 minutes and 22 seconds.
Florida fired 36 shots, but Alex Nedeljkovic turned aside 35 for a .972 save percentage.
The night also turned into pure chaos when Sergei Bobrovsky and Nedeljkovic skated the full distance and dropped the gloves in a rare goalie fight.
It was loud, messy, and honestly the most energy the building had all night.
Matthew Tkachuk pushes Florida Panthers after loss
Panthers fans are thrilled he's back, but you can still feel the anxiety, because points are leaking away in January.
Florida's issues looked familiar, too much perimeter work, not enough clean second chances, and too many rebounds sitting there begging to be hammered home.
Tkachuk logged just under 21 minutes and put three shots on goal, which is a heavy workload for a first game back.
You could also see defenders cheat toward him on entries, even when his timing was still coming around.
The Panthers' man advantage had looks, but the Sharks' sticks and lanes kept turning good ideas into harmless shots.
When you're chasing a three-goal hole, every failed power play feels like two minutes of your season getting lighter.
That's why the wild card math is starting to sting, Buffalo at 57, Florida at 53, and a bunch of teams nearby sprinting.
Next up is a quick three-game road swing, Thursday in Winnipeg, then a back-to-back Saturday in Minnesota and Sunday in Chicago.
The Jets are built to punish turnovers, and the Wild can squeeze the neutral zone until you're dumping pucks like it's 2009.
If Tkachuk is back to being himself, the top-six looks real again, but it still needs results between now and the break.
This week in Winnipeg is the kind of spot where Florida has to look like a contender again, not a team hoping the calendar saves it.
Also read on Sunrise Hockey Insider :
Florida Panthers Paul Maurice explains the deep meaning behind Sergei Bobrovsky's outburst
Florida Panthers Paul Maurice explains the deep meaning behind Sergei Bobrovsky's outburst
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 20 | 28 ANSWERS The Florida Panthers fall to Sharks in emotional wild card setback Should Matthew Tkachuk be leaned on as the Panthers chase the wild card? | ||
| Yes | 27 | 96.4 % |
| No | 1 | 3.6 % |
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