“Chucky,” captain Aleksander Barkov said, “welcome back.”

Tkachuk ended up playing just 19 shifts over 11:43 of playing time, about six and a half minutes less than his average TOI during the season. He finished with three shots on five attempts but was not credited with any hits or blocked shots.

Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk scored twice in his return from injury on Tuesday. After the game, he said he felt great, physically.