Matthew Tkachuk tells Panthers teammates ‘we’ll be back here’ for Game 7

Tkachuk scored the overtime winner on Wednesday to force a Game 6 in Florida

Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk has been the center of the team’s universe since arriving in a blockbuster trade last summer.

Tkachuk’s play on the ice and personality off the ice has been a perfect fit with the Panthers, who needed some grit and sandpaper to go with the talented core built by General Manager Bill Zito in recent years.

If the 25-year-old’s first playoff series with Florida is any indication, he is absolutely the right guy for the role the Panthers were hoping to fill.

Tkachuk combines high-end offensive talent with the rough, hard-checking, takes-no-crap persona that Florida had been lacking.

He gets under the opponents’ skin like few players can. Late in Game 4, Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark removed his gloves and tried to fight Tkachuk after the Florida All-Star got physical in tight quarters with the tendy.

In Game 5, Ullmark gave up an uncharacteristic four goals on 25 shots after he stopped 70 of 74 shots in Games 3 and 4.

During the regular season, Ullmark gave up four or more goals exactly two times: once in March to Chicago and once in November to Pittsburgh. That’s it, and both of those games were on the road.

In this series, he’s already surrendered four or more goals twice…in Boston. The same place the fans have been booing Tkachuk every time he touches the puck.

They were also booing as Tkachuk pumped his fists and skated to the giant Bruins logo at center ice on Wednesday, where he was mobbed by his teammates after scoring in overtime of Game 5.

In the postgame locker room, Tkachuk was handed the game puck from Brandon Montour, who was the last recipient after Game 2.

Tkachuk walked it over to Florida’s Stanley Cup-shaped puck display, which has 16 puck-sized holes to be filled after each of the Panthers playoff wins.

As he prepared to place the second victory puck in the display, he said something to his teammates.

“Boys, remember this room,” Tkachuk said while holding the puck in the air. “We’ll be back here for seven.”

Game 7 between the Panthers and Bruins would be played Sunday at TD Garden.

In order to remove the “if necessary” tag from that game, Florida first would need to win Game 6, at home, on Friday.

Tkachuk seemed more than a little confident that would be happening.

“Things happen fast in the playoffs,” he said while speaking to the media after Game 5. “Now they’ve got to come down to Florida for another one.”

The idea of playing a third postseason game in Sunrise probably doesn’t have the Bruins shaking in their skates.

Boston won both Game 3 and Game 4 in South Florida earlier in the series, and in convincing fashion.

Still, its home ice for a Florida team that doesn’t view the series as the David vs. Goliath matchup it appears to be on the surface. 

That’s what’ll happen when a one-seed plays an eight-seed and there’s a 43-point difference between them in the standings.

“We were supposed to get swept the series, right? Everyone's saying so,” said Tkachuk. “I don't think anybody really gave us a chance after losing two games in a row at home, and coming here to a back against the wall type game, it just seemed like the series was over before the game even started.

“For us to come up with the start we did speaks a lot about our team, our preparation, our belief in each other, and I think it comes down to we just don't want our season to end. Now they're coming down to Florida and we know that there can't possibly be a Game 7 in their mind right now. It’s just up to us to see you guys back here in a few days.”