Paul Maurice shares important update before Bruins-Panthers

The Bruins found out Saturday that Aleksander Barkov would not be available for the Panthers when the Atlantic Division rivals met Monday afternoon.

But as Paul Maurice revealed hours before puck drop at TD Garden, the Florida captain won’t be the only star sidelined for the visitors in the final game against Boston.

Matthew Tkachuk will miss the second Panthers-Bruins clash in less than a week due to an illness, according to Florida team reporter Jameson Olive, citing an update from Maurice. The reigning Stanley Cup champions do not expect Tkachuk to return to the ice until their home game against the Minnesota Wild on October 22.

Playing a Panthers team without Tkachuk clearly bodes well for the Bruins. The star wing recorded just one point in Florida’s six-goal barrage at Amerant Bank Arena last Tuesday, but he lured Boston into multiple game-changing penalty kicks. The Bruins, as they often do, struggled to ignore Tkachuk’s antics and their play was cut short in the process.

All things considered, Jim Montgomery’s side are in a favorable position to extend their win streak to three on Monday. NESN’s full coverage of the matinee affair begins at noon ET, followed by the puck at 1 p.m.