Vladimir Tarasenko Back in Ottawa, Panthers Face Senators

Vladimir Tarasenko found himself back in the thick of a playoff race when he was traded to the Florida Panthers last month — and tonight, he is back facing the Ottawa Senators for the first time since that deadline deal.

Tarasenko only played 57 games with the Senators after signing a one-year deal with Ottawa during the offseason.

It was a contract which allowed him the chance to help the Senators make the playoffs, but if they did not, he could be moved for assets.

When it came down to the deadline, he would only waive his no-trade clause to come to Florida where his wife and children made their home in Weston.

So far, so good.

“We have games to play and I have to be focused on them,” said Tarasenko, who has five goals and 10 points in 13 games with the Panthers thus far. “I feel very comfortable. This is a very good group of guys. Everyone has been very supportive. The playoffs are coming, and that is very exciting.’’

Coach Paul Maurice said he enjoys seeing Tarasenko back on the top line with Sasha Barkov after moving things around since the deal.

With Carter Verhaeghe out with an upper-body injury, the Panthers have a spot open for Tarasenko even if it is not his natural right side. That is where Sam Reinhart plays.

“This might be a real good spot for him,” Maurice said. “I put him in the Tkachuk category in that I hated him in St. Louis. The amount of goals he scored from that dot nearly drove me insane, especially during the playoffs. He just has that knack. There is a box around the right faceoff dot, about 15 feet around it, where if the puck is on his stick, you have a real god chance of scoring. He has that elite release, it is hard to find.

“What I have really enjoyed is seeing him talk incessantly with Barkov about hockey on the ice. I love seeing two guys playing together and all they do is talk hockey.”

Florida will be without Verhaeghe again tonight as well as defenseman Aaron Ekblad who apparently aggravated an injury during Tuesday’s loss in Montreal.

Maurice said Ekblad is likely to miss the remainder of the regular season but is “quite confident he is 100 percent ready” for the start of the playoffs.

The starting goalies tonight are Sergei Bobrovsky and his old Columbus backup, Joonas Korpisalo.