Hockey

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk will skate Tuesday morning. Whether he'll play for the Florida Panthers in their playoff opener on Tuesday night is anyone's guess. Tkachuk — who hasn't played for the Panthers since Feb.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — A year ago, the New York Rangers were starting a playoff run to the Eastern Conference final and did not clean out their lockers until June, after losing to eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida.

LOS ANGELES — Stuart Skinner will start in goal for the Edmonton Oilers when they begin their playoff run against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — The standings said the Pittsburgh Penguins took a step back this season. At times, far too many, particularly early in the year, the on-ice product did, too.

TORONTO (AP) — Jack Gurevitch is a Montreal Canadiens superfan and a proud Canadian who says he is upset by President Donald Trump’s tariff plans and threats to annex Canada.

LOS ANGELES — Jeff Skinner has experienced a lot over 1,078 NHL games. The energy and excitement of a playoff game, though, have eluded him so far.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — In a crowded field of generational talents, Tampa Bay Lightning wing Nikita Kucherov hides in plain sight. That’s often the case with Kucherov, who just won his second consecutive regular-season scoring title and third overall.

TORONTO — The Ottawa Senators made their first appearance in the NHL post-season in eight years on Sunday night. Their lack of playoff experience showed in a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

TORONTO — Mitch Marner and his Maple Leafs have never had offensive issues in the regular season. It's been a different matter entirely when the calender flips to spring.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — It’s starting to feel like an annual tradition: Panthers vs. Lightning in the NHL playoffs, the battle of Florida, a matchup that has seemed to decide which team will eventually get to the Stanley Cup Final.