Paul Maurice shares official update on Matthew Tkachuk.

The Four Nations Face-Off provided an unreal level of excitement for hockey fans around the globe, especially fans in North America who tuned in by the millions to watch the final between Canada and the USA. It was an amazing tournament that we will likely be talking about for years to come, but unfortunately it is also a tournament that has come at a heavy cost for certain teams around the National Hockey League.

One such team is the Florida Panthers who saw star forward Matthew Tkachuk battling an injury throughout the tournament, an injury that we now know will in fact keep him out of action for some time. On Saturday morning, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice spoke with members of the media and was able to share an official update on Tkachuk's status for the first time since the conclusion of the Four Nations Face-Off.

According to Maurice, Tkachuk has been sidelined by a lower body injury and will remain out of the lineup as a result of the injury sustained at the Four Nations Face-Off tournament. This is obviously less than ideal for the Panthers, and making things worse is the fact that they may not have a clear picture regarding the severity of Tkachuk's injury just yet. Maurice informed reporters on Saturday that Tkachuk would be evaluated by the team's medical staff over the course of the next few days, with a more concrete picture of Tkachuk's recovery expected to be made public ahead of Florida's clash with the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

A huge blow to a Panthers team that is very much still fighting for the top spot in the NHL's Atlantic Division, but one that we won't know the full extent of for at least a few more days.