POINT NUMBER 500 FOR NUMBER 19

As the Panthers were attempting a 3rd period comeback against the Chicago Blackhawks, Matthew Tkachuk put a rebound back into the net for his 500th NHL point. Tkachuk had always been an offensive machine, but he hit another gear after he was traded to the Panthers. In his first 89 games with the Cats, Tkachuk registered 1.32 points per game (118 points in 89 games) compared to 0.89 points per game (382 points in 431 games) in Calgary. “It doesn’t mean much today, to be quite honest,” Tkachuk told reporters in Chicago after the game, “but I’ve played with a lot of great players, so I’m lucky.” Matthew and his father Keith Tkachuk became the eighth father-son duo in NHL history to each notch 500 points. Matthew got to 500 points in 520 career games. His father got there in 519.