Injury to keep Tkachuk out of Flames’ finale in Beijing

BEIJING Calgary Flames rising star Matthew Tkachuk will benefit from a couple of days away from the rink.

And not just because of jet lag. The 20-year-old left winger will miss Wednesday’s exhibition tilt with the Boston Bruins in Beijing — the conclusion of the 2018 O.R.G. China Games — due to a minor lower-body injury.

Tkachuk made an early exit from Tuesday’s practice and wasn’t on the ice at Cadillac Arena for the morning skate the following day, but Flames general manager Brad Treliving reported his absence was simply “precautionary.” The roadtrippers will enjoy consecutive days off after returning to Calgary, and Tkachuk isn’t expected to miss any additional action.

“He could have played today easily,” said head coach Bill Peters after Wednesday ’s morning skate. “If this was Game 1 against Vancouver, he’d be in the lineup.”

If you’re a fan or follower of the Flames, you probably don’t need a refresher on Tkachuk’s importance to the team.

As a sophomore, he counted 24 goals and 25 assists in 68 regularseason skates, trailing only Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan on the team scoring charts.

A heart-on-his-sleeve sort, No. 19 is already the emotional catalyst for his club.

Tkachuk scored an exciting shootout goal during Saturday’s matinee in Shenzhen, a slick deke to his backhand capped by a topshelf shot.