The Bruins learned Saturday that Aleksander Barkov would not be available to the Panthers when the Atlantic Division rivals met Monday afternoon.

But as Paul Maurice revealed hours before puck drop at TD Garden, Florida’s captain won’t be the only star out for the visitors’ recent game against Boston.

Matthew Tkachuk will miss the second meeting between the Panthers and Bruins in less than a week due to illness, according to Florida team reporter Jameson Olive, citing an update from Maurice. The reigning Stanley Cup champions do not expect to have Tkachuk back on the ice until their home game against the Minnesota Wild on October 22nd.

Playing against a Panthers team without Tkachuk is obviously a good sign for the Bruins. The star winger earned just one point during Florida’s six-goal barrage last Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena, but he converted several game-winning penalties for Boston. The Bruins, as is often the case, struggled to ignore Tkachuk’s antics and were eliminated from the game in the process.

All in all, Jim Montgomery’s team is in an advantageous position to extend their winning streak to three on Monday. NESN’s full coverage of the matinee affair begins at noon ET, with puck drop following at 1 p.m