Tkachuk had his best game of the Stanley Cup Final by far, and now must maintain that level for the suddenly struggling Panthers

With the Florida Panthers in desperate need for some kind of a spark in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, Matthew Tkachuk delivered.

It may not have been enough to pull Florida from the depths of defeat on Tuesday night, but perhaps it will spark the gritty star and help fuel the Panthers to one final win in the best-of-7 championship series.

Florida will enter Game 6 on Friday in Edmonton holding a three-games-to-two series lead, which seems like a good place to be until you take into account that the Panthers won each of the first three games.

Still, confidence among Tkachuk and his teammates is high.

“We’ll get another crack at it on Friday,” Tkachuk said. “We did a really good job at the beginning of the series building that lead, so really nothing changes from tonight's mindset.”

After going three of the first four Cup Final games without registering a point, Tkachuk put up a goal and an assist as the Panthers tried to climb back into Game 5.

Considering he had a measly assist and was a minus-5 between Game 3 and Game 4, there was seemingly nowhere for Tkachuk to go but up.

After a mid-game shuffle of the forward lines by Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice, Tkachuk found himself on a line with Evan Rodrigues and Sam Bennett.

The trio outchanced the Oilers 12-2 at even strength. They were on the ice for all three of Florida’s goals, with Tkachuk leading the way logging a goal, an assist and four shots on goal.

“He was fantastic,” Maurice said of Tkachuk. “He scored a huge goal, and that line was on fire tonight. The last thing you want is him with the puck on his stick in the slot.”

“He was unbelievable tonight,” added Bennett. “He elevated his game and the boys followed. We need that from him for sure.”

Now the question will be whether Tkachuk can keep operating at that level for the remainder of Florida’s season, however long it may be.

If he can keep it up, the Panthers may find themselves celebrating a championship in a couple nights.

Tkachuk and his teammates say they won’t be feeling the pressure, but simply want to get back to playing a way they know they are capable.

We’ll see how things play out in Edmonton.

“It’s not an elimination game for us,” Tkachuk said. “We’re going up there, we have a 3-2 series lead, we just have to take care of business like we did in Game 3.”

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