FORT LAUDERDALE — All of the Panthers’ Olympians were back on the ice for their morning skate before Thursday night’s matchup with Toronto, making for crowded ice at the team’s Fort Lauderdale training facility.

“We had about 27 guys out there,” Florida coach Paul Maurice joked. “Don’t know what to do with that.”

But the intensity is not going to drop as the Panthers transition from the high stakes of Olympic play. Florida is out of the current playoff picture. The Panthers are eight points behind the second wild card, Boston, entering Thursday night’s game against the Maple Leafs.

“It’s very quick turnaround,” Panthers winger and Canadian Olympian Brad Marchand said. “You finish the game at eight, we’re on a plane at six and coming back to reality, trying to get the kids back in the swing of things and trying to get a little downtime. And then now, obviously, with where we’re at, realizing we’ve got to turn it around and get dialed in again and make a huge push. So a lot of downtime the last couple days; the team is good enough to give us a couple days off to relax and recover. But now it’s exciting to get back with the guys.”

Florida had 10 players go to the Olympics, and seven came back with medals. Matthew Tkachuk won gold with Team USA in an overtime game against Canada. Marchand, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart won silver with the Canadian team. Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola won bronze with Team Finland.

“You’re playing hockey where every detail matters, and that’s where we’re at now in the position we’re in,” Reinhart said. “So it’s certainly playoff do-or-die hockey that we’re in. Maybe from a mental standpoint, it might be a little bit more difficult, but sometimes it’s easier when there’s kind of a finish line and end in sight to play that way. But that’s just the position we’re in. We’re going to have to do what we can to bat ourselves out of it.”

Tkachuk and Bennett said there were no hard feelings between the Canadians and Tkachuk, who had six assists in the tournament.

“Just congratulated him on winning gold and that’s pretty much it,” Bennett said.

Said Tkachuk: “No bad blood, absolutely not. We’re all competitors. We’re all, first and foremost, players for the Florida Panthers, especially (with) what we’ve built over the last few years. The relationships we have in that room are as good as you’re ever going to find. But at the same time, guys from Finland or Sweden or Canada — obviously, being American, I know the pride that I feel wearing that jersey and I would do whatever it takes, even if it’s against some of my best friends.

“So that’s why hockey players are the best. One day you’re playing for your country, battling, willing to do whatever it takes, and a few days later you’re back to best friends, playing against the Leafs.”

Still, Tkachuk — who was sporting his gold medal during his Thursday press conference after the team’s morning skate — said he was not flashing his new accessory around the locker room.

Matthew Tkachuk arrives at his first post-Olympics press conference with his gold medal around his neck. pic.twitter.com/npZ5Gg2LRF

— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) February 26, 2026

“I got here early to take pictures with some of the staff and whoever wanted to but kept it away from the players,” Tkachuk said. “I don’t think any players have seen it. Actually, a couple of the Americans, I showed. So they were really proud and they thought it was really cool.”

With the Olympics in the rearview mirror, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have a tough road to the playoffs. The Panthers have 24 games left on the schedule following Thursday’s game against Toronto. Of those 24 remaining games, 15 are on the road and seven are part of back-to-backs.

“You’re in that playoff mindset,” Maurice said. “Every game is the only game that you’re going to play. And when it’s done, you can’t hang on to it, good or bad. You’ve got to move on to the next game and make the adjustments.”