Panthers officially take Matthew Tkachuk off injured reserve for Game 1

UPDATE: The Panthers have officially taken Matthew Tkachuk off of the Injured Reserve.

All signs point to Tkachuk suiting up for Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening.

Read below for our earlier report on this developing story.

This just in, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters today that superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk is a game-time decision for Game 1 this evening against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Maurice said that Tkachuk needs approval from the team's doctors to suit up and then he'll take the pre-game warmup tonight at Amalie Arena in Tampa. If all goes according to plan, he'll be in the lineup for Game 1 this evening.

The 27 year old forward has been sidelined by injury since the 4 Nations Face-Off and missed the regular season stretch drive for the Panthers.