Cote: Matthew Tkachuk! Nate Schmidt? Panthers delight in 6-2 playoff-opening win in Tampa

(Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times)

Welcome back, Matthew Tkachuk. How many mouth guards did you pulverize Tuesday night with your trademark habit of chewing what is meant to protect your smile? How many Florida Panthers fans’ hopes did you lift?

It had been more than two months since the Cats last saw Tkachuk on the ice, and his return was well-timed.

It instantly gave the Panthers back what had been slipping from them: A belief in their chances to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

Tkachuk’s two goals were pivotal in a 6-2 Florida victory at the rival Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of this NHL first-round best-of-7 playoff series. Game 2 is Thursday back in Tampa.

Secondary storyline: Meant most politely, who the heck are you, Nate Schmidt? And we’re glad you’re here!

Schmidt, a first-year Panther who scored five goals all season and never has been known for offense, scored two Tuesday. Most other nights, the spotlight would have been his. But not this night.

If Aleksander Barkov is the soul of the Panthers, Tkachuk is the heart, and the spirit, and the spark. It isn’t just his hands, and the goals.

“The leadership. His emotional understanding,” coach Paul Maurice had said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “He knows when the team needs a bark, a funny line, a hit.”

It probably needed them all Tuesday night. Mostly, it needed a lift, a reason to feel like the reigning champion.

He delivered.

This was the fourth time in the past five postseasons these teams have met in this vibrant state rivalry, the Sunshine State Skate. One team or the other has played in the past five straight Stanley Cup Finals.

What must Canada think? What must the Original Six teams think? Or old-school hockey fans in general?

That two teams from Florida, from the sun-beaten tropics, would come to own their sport, the one played on ice? Before the NHL chanced to give the Southeast a try, ice down here meant something you put in a drink. It meant something that was melting.

Now the Panthers and Lightning both are elite-status, and proving it again.

It was supposed to be Tampa’s upper-hand this time. (Might still be; long series.)

The Lightning had a better season record to own home-ice advantage. Tampa led the NHL in goal-scoring and gave up the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference. Lightning had a better percentage on the power play and penalty kill than Florida. The Panthers, sans Tkachuk, had been the lowest scoring team in the NHL since the 4 Nations event.

If Tkachuk didn’t spark that instant turnaround Tuesday, you could have fooled me.

Florida led 1-0 a few minutes in on Sam Bennett’s goal, his stick perfectly re-directing a waist-level loose puck. On that line was Tkachuk, back for the first time since a February 20 injury suffered while playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off midseason tournament.

Tampa equalized on a Jake Guentzel power-play goal after a Tkachuk roughing penalty.

But the Cats were back up 2-1 with less than a minute left in the first period when Sam Reinhart expertly deflected a Dmitry Kulikov shot into the upper right of the net.

It was 3-1 in the second on a goal by the little-known Schmidt. Tampa coach Jon Cooper unwisely challenged what was a clear goal, praying for goalie interference. He lost. It cost his team.

It was Tkachuk time.

He scored on the power-play gift from Tampa’s failed challenge, a shot off a pass that found him unguarded in front of the net to make out 4-1.

Another power play and another Tkachuk goal made it 5-1, erasing the home crowd. He struck a slapshot that Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy plainly didn’t see, the shot catching him upright at the net.

Schmidt would score again. Holy Schmidt!

This great rivalry has just renewed and feels like seven.

And if you don’t think Florida vs. Tampa is tight, consider:

Teams were 2-2 this season, are 10-10 in past 20 games, have 128 goals each in past 40 meetings, and are 80-80 (with eight ties) in past 168 games.

“I think you see it every game we play, whether it’s preseason or Game 1 of the playoffs. We kind of know that the other one’s going to be there at the end of the year,” said the goal-scorer Reinhart. “It’s kind of like, ‘We’re going to have to go through each other.’ I think there’s that respect there. We almost love to hate each other.”

The best rivalry in the East, maybe in hockey, has only just renewed itself.

Only a fool might say they are certain who’ll win this series.

But only a fool might deny the return of Matthew Tkachuk has put the NHL on notice:

The Florida Panthers’ shot at a second straight Stanley Cup is alive.

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Cote: Matthew Tkachuk! Nate Schmidt? Panthers delight in 6-2 playoff-opening win in Tampa | Opinion

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