Is Matthew Tkachuk playing tonight against Washington Capitals? Checking Panthers star's availability for key clash

Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk will not play against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, as confirmed by head coach Paul Maurice.

Tkachuk got injured from a hit by Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov in the first period during the Panther's 1-0 defeat on Thursday.

Maurice revealed Matthew Tkachuk’s absence after the morning skate, marking his first game to be missed this season.

“He was moving around fine,” Maurice said. “Just a couple things he wasn’t 100 percent sure that he could drive at 100 percent.”

Maurice also mentioned that he expects Matthew Tkachuk to be ready for Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres at Amerant Bank Arena.

Defenseman Gustav Forsling is expected to make a return to the lineup on Saturday after leaving the game early due to an undisclosed injury against Carolina.

Matthew Tkachuk has played a key role this season, scoring 20 goals and providing 45 assists in 57 games. He leads the team with 65 points, closely following his past-season feat where he exceeded the 100-point milestone.

The Panthers have a 37-16-4 record and are currently in the second position in the Atlantic Division, only behind the Boston Bruins for the first spot in the Eastern Conference.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov’s take on the 1-0 loss against Hurricanes

Aleksander Barkov expressed his thoughts on the loss over Carolina on Thursday:

“I think we did a pretty good job. We didn’t score any goals, but we had some chances. We played tight defense and played well enough to win the game.”

Barkov appreciated both teams' efforts.

“I think it was a good game by both teams. A tough game. We know how they play, they know how we play. It was a good example of how both teams play out there. I think both teams tried to do everything right. That’s how it ended up, 0-0 almost all the way to the end.

"I know it’s been a couple of those already against them. We knew it was going to be like that. We accepted that and just tried to grind it out and it ended up this way," he added.

It remains to be seen how the Panthers fare against the Capitals.