Tkachuk is back for the Panthers. Will it be enough to spark a run to the playoffs?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk is back with the Florida Panthers, ready to help the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions try to return to the playoffs and start tuning up to play for USA Hockey at next month’s Milan Cortina Olympics.

Tkachuk — who had surgery to repair a torn adductor and sports hernia over the summer, about two months after helping the Panthers win their second straight Stanley Cup — played Monday night against San Jose. It was his first game since hoisting the Cup in June.

“I’m feeling great. Just so excited to be back,” Tkachuk said after the team’s morning skate. “It was a little over five months since the surgery, so just chomping at the bit to come back, really. And, yeah, happy that the day is finally here. I wasn’t coming back until I was feeling 100%. I came back not 100% one time, and that’s only a playoff thing, so I’m happy with the whole recovery process.”

He skated just under 21 minutes and had three shots on net in a 4-1 loss to the Sharks.

“Personally, I will say it was such a relief and nice to be out there,” Tkachuk said afterward, acknowledging the first period was weird. “I felt better as it went along.”

Tkachuk had missed nearly a full year — 72 games over 11 1/2 months — of regular-sea...