Keith Tkachuk rips his son's team prior to their game tonight against Toronto
The Florida Panthers, are dangerously close to missing out on a Wild Card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They face a crucial game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. With only eight games left in the season, every point counts for the Panthers, a position that seemed unlikely at this stage of the year.
In preparation for the game, Keith Tkachuk, the father of Florida player Matthew Tkachuk, was invited to speak with FirstUp about the team's prospects. He was frank in his assessment of the Panthers.
"This is do or die for the Panthers right now. I watched them the other night. I was staying at Brady's house but, Brady's team, you know they played really well, they have some jam. I'm a little disappointed in the Panthers. They're a soft team and they're getting everything they deserve right now."
The Ottawa Senators, led by Keith's other son Brady, defeated Florida 5-2 in the game, marking the Panthers' fourth consecutive loss. That included a defeat against Toronto last week. Tkachuk disclosed that his son Matthew, who was traded from Calgary to Florida during the offseason, is content with his decision but frustrated with the team's current standing.
"He's pretty devastated right now with where they're at, but he's still hanging on, they still have a chance, and it's up to them to get their butts going and start playing like a team that should be a lot better than they're showing right now."
According to Tkachuk, although injuries have been a concern for Florida, he maintains the team has the potential to perform better than it has most of this season. Wednesday night's game against Toronto will be a significant challenge for the Panthers.
| POLL | ||
MARS 29 | 256 ANSWERS Keith Tkachuk rips his son's team prior to their game tonight against Toronto Will the Florida Panthers make the 2022-23 playoffs? | ||
| No, they'll miss the playoffs | 153 | 59.8 % |
| Yes, they'll sneak in | 55 | 21.5 % |
| It's too close to call | 48 | 18.8 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
Top 10 latest hockey stories
