When the Panthers began their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tkachuk was in the lineup for Game 1 and announced his presence in a big way. The Panthers winger tallied two goals and an assist in a dominant 6-2 win to get the Stanley Cup Playoffs started on the right foot.

In back-to-back years, the Panthers stole Bennett and Tkachuk from Western Canada. It's led to back-to-back Cup champions. Matthew Tkachuk, all that attitude and relentlessness and toughness, has been in South Florida for three years. And all he's done is lead his team to the Stanley Cup Final all three years.

Coach Paul Maurice quipped after Tuesday’s 5-1 win over Edmonton that the medical term for Tkachuk was, “He was a mess.”