Matthew Tkachuk to miss Game 5 of Stanley Cup Final

Tkachuk leads all Panthers players with 24 points in 20 playoff games

If the Florida Panthers are going to extend the Stanley Cup Final to a sixth game, they’ll have to do it without one of their top players.

Matthew Tkachuk did not take the ice for pregame warmups and will not play in Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night. 

Florida is expected to play 2018 first round pick Grigori Denisenko, who took pregame warmup line rushes with Zac Dalpe and Givani Smith. 

It would be Denisenko’s Stanley Cup Playoff debut.

THN has learned that Tkachuk is dealing with a significant upper-body injury. It's what kept him from playing most of the third period of Game 4 on Saturday night in Sunrise.

Tkachuk's status beyond Tuesday, should the Panthers win, is unknown. 

Florida's forward lines for Game 5 looked like this during warmups:

Anton Lundell - Sasha Barkov - Anthony Duclair 

Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - Sam Reinhart

Ryan Lomberg - Eric Staal - Nick Cousins

Zac Dalpe- Colin White - Grigori Denisenko