Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk shares thoughts on Eastern Conference Finals showdown against Rangers

The Florida Panthers' alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk shared his thoughts on the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals showdown against the New York Rangers.

The Panthers have reached this stage after defeating the Boston Bruins 4-2 in the second round, while the New York Rangers have won 4-2 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

On his appearance yesterday on "The Pat McAfee Show", Tkachuk said:

"We just had a very hard-fought, physically demanding series against Boston, which was a little bit different from the Tampa series that was more about skating, high-flying, and offense.

"So we've got the best of both worlds, beating two of our biggest rivals. Now, we're heading into MSG and the Big Apple to face the team that has been the best in the regular season and the best in the playoffs so far," Tkachuk said.

Tkachuk currently leads the Panthers in playoff scoring with four goals and 10 assists for 14 points through two rounds.

"We're super excited for this challenge. The stage does not get any bigger than this, and I'm just so looking forward to it. It's an unbelievable opportunity," he continued.

"We're back in the Eastern Conference Finals again, and hopefully, we can do the same thing we did in the series last year, but it's going to be tough. The Rangers are playing unbelievably well, they're so talented, and we're going to need everybody in this room."

The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final last season before ultimately falling to the Vegas Golden Knights. Now they'll look to win against the Rangers to make it to the finals again.

Matthew Tkachuk speaking on his battle with Bruins' David Pastrnak

Tkachuk discussed his second-round playoff fight with Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak on "The Pat McAfee Show". The fight occurred during Game 2 on May 8.

"I remember their bottom-six guys trying to start something. We scored on the penalty kill, so we had four guys out there and they had five, which I felt was an unfair scrum advantage. So me and 'Pasta' went over and talked to the refs," Tkachuk said.

As the matter escalated, Tkachuk proposed a fight to Pastrnak, who initially declined, saying he'd rather fight next game. But Tkachuk pressed on, saying:

"No, we're fighting right now. He then said: 'Alright, maybe.'"

Pastrnak, after consulting with Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, agreed to the fight.

Even Tkachuk was surprised by his actions, as he doesn't usually fight while his team is short-handed.

"There was some confusion because we were on the penalty kill and I usually don't do that. I just hopped out there and we fought," he said.

Describing the actual fight, Tkachuk said it was simply two guys trying to knock each other out and send a message to their teams.

Tkachuk is sure to be up to his usual gritty style of hockey against the Rangers in the ECF beginning on Wednesday.