Despite a slow start, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are back in a playoff spot as they enter the Christmas break. Posting a 20-14-2 record (42 points), the Florida Panthers now sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, five off the division lead, but more importantly, they sit in the second wild card spot with games in hand on most teams in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers are still without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, although the latter is expected to return to the lineup very soon [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-matthew-tkachuk-ramping-up-in-return-process-no-longer-restricted-to-skate-every-other-day]. In addition to Barkov and Tkachuk, the Panthers are still without Tomas Nosek, Dmitry Kulikov, Jonah Gadjovich and Cole Schwindt. While the Panthers haven't played perfect hockey, they've done a lot of things right. Today, we'll look at three things the Panthers want for Christmas. MATTHEW TKACHUK'S RETURN As mentioned before, the item the Panthers are in most dire need of or want the most is the return of their superstar winger. Prior to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Tkachuk hadn't played a game since Feb. 8, before the 4 Nations Face-Off. It's closing in on nearly a year since the 28-year-old played a regular-season game. His return will be a massive boost for the Panthers, both emotionally and for their overall product on the ice. He'll allow players who are playing elevated roles to slide back into more preferred roles while adding lots of offence. The Panthers are hopeful that he will return for the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, but no specific return date has been announced yet. Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/387069cf-8f7d-416f-bee3-16baff3d69a6.jpeg] Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images) GUSTAV FORSLING AND AARON EKBLAD RESURGENCE Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad have been far from poor this season, but the Panthers have become accustomed to expecting more from their two top-pairing defensemen. Forsling and Ekblad matchup against their opponents' top players every night, so expecting them to light it up offensievly or in the advanced stat department is a bit unfair. But the Panthers know there is more than what Forsling and Ekblad are providing at the moment. Plus/minus is a flawed stat in today's game, but a minus-10 from Ekblad and a minus-1 from Forsling is far below what's expected of them. IMPROVED PERFORMANCES FROM SERGEI BOBROVSKY Sergei Bobrovsky is climbing all-time leaderboards this season, but his play has tailed off from what he's shown throughout his career. It doesn't come as much of a surprise, as he is now 37 years old, but the Panthers' playoff hopes and hopes of defending their title are in the hands of Bobrovsky. This season, he's recorded an .889 save percentage and a 2.78 goals-against average in 25 games. Outside of his second season in the NHL (.899), Bobrovsky has never posted a save percentage under .900. Daniil Tarasov has provided the Panthers with some stability when he's played, but the overall goaltending performances can most certainly be better. If Bobrovsky at the very least shows signs of bouncing back, the Panthers could run through the Eastern Conference again. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/5c932db0-4d24-4843-8eb1-2dd067143181.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?_gl=1*19d80be*_ga*NDAxOTY4NTMuMTc1NTg5NTA0Mg..*_ga_ZET34ZFCGX*czE3NjM4MzQyNTYkbzM0NSRnMCR0MTc2MzgzNDI1OSRqNTckbDAkaDA.]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
