Can injured stars return to provide boost to Panthers is the key question as they aim to finish their challenging road trip strong.
The longest road trip of the season for the Florida Panthers will come to an end on Saturday night.
Florida has a chance to end the trip with an even record, but they’ll have to take down the stingy Washington Capitals first.
The Cats lost the first two games on their trip, in Toronto and Montreal, before picking up a pair of dubs in Ottawa and Buffalo.
After a four-day break, Florida resumed their roadie Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes but were romped out of Raleigh, losing by an embarrassing 8-1 final score.
The big question surrounding the Panthers is when their injured star forwards will be healthy enough to get back in the lineup.
Matthew Tkachuk has been nearing a return for over a week now, shedding his non-contact jersey and joining his teammates for a few full-contact practices.
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice has said that it’s down to how Tkachuk feels as he recovers from the ramped up, physical practices, so perhaps Saturday will be the day he’s ready to return.
Brad Marchand had been labeled day-to-day by Maurice with an undisclosed injury, but he went on Injured Reserve Friday as the Cats made room on the 23-man roster for Cole Schwindt.
Marchand and Tkachuk can both join the roster at any time, and Florida has flexibility as Noah Gregor and Tobias Bjornfot have both previously cleared waivers and can be sent to AHL Charlotte, though Bjornfot is a defenseman so he’d likely stay over the forward.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s soiree in D.C. if Tkachuk does crack the lineup:
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer
Jesper Boqvist – Cole Schwindt – Luke Kunin
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Donovan Sebrango – Jeff Petry
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Photo caption: Jan 8, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) celebrates with his teammates at the bench his second goal of the game against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)