Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk scored twice in his return from injury on Tuesday. After the game, he said he felt great, physically.

The Florida Panthers made a statement on Tuesday with their 6-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning to begin their best-of-7 Stanley Cup playoffs opening-round series at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

With a raucous crowd and optimism abound, the Tampa Bay Lightning finally opened their Eastern Conference first-round series with the rival Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, only to drop a deflating 6-2 decision to the defending Stanley Cup champions.