BOSTON — The Florida Panthers are facing a challenging time as forward Matthew Tkachuk is expected to be sidelined for approximately another week due to illness. This news implies that Tkachuk will likely miss a total of six games for the current Stanley Cup champions.

Tkachuk was absent during Saturday’s defeat against Buffalo, and the Panthers anticipate that he won’t return until their home game against Minnesota on October 22.

He also missed Monday’s game against Boston, with the Panthers foreseeing his continued absence for upcoming matches on Tuesday at Columbus, Thursday against Vancouver at home, and Saturday facing Vegas at home.

Compounding the Panthers’ difficulties, the team is already missing another key player. Captain Aleksander Barkov sustained an injury last week during a match against Ottawa and is currently listed as week to week due to a lower-body issue. The team remains optimistic that Barkov will be able to return in time for the two games scheduled in his homeland of Finland against Dallas on November 1 and 2.

Before falling ill, Tkachuk had already accumulated two assists in the first two contests of the season. The absence of both Tkachuk and Barkov will certainly be felt by the Panthers as they strive to maintain their strong performance in the league.