It took a couple of weeks, but Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are showing how dominant they can be as teammates.
After the brothers combined for a historic offensive performance, they’ll try to help the Florida Panthers hand the visiting Vancouver Canucks a sixth straight defeat on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla.
While Matthew Tkachuk totaled three goals with an assist during Florida’s first five games of 2026-27, Brady went without a point over that same stretch to open his Panthers’ tenure. Then Monday, Brady recorded an assist during Florida’s 5-3 loss at Buffalo.
On Tuesday at Columbus, Brady broke out with a natural hat trick over an 8:03 span of the second period. Matthew assisted on each goal, making him the first-ever in league history to assist on each during a brother’s natural hat trick — according to the NHL.
Matthew added two more assists and Brady also had a helper as the Panthers avoided a third straight defeat with their 7-3 win over the Blue Jackets.
“It wasn’t the start (to the season) I wanted, personally, but just got to stick with it,” Brady Tkachuk told Scripps Sports.
“Now, I’ve got to start returning the favor for (Matthew).”
He can start Thursday, when the Panthers play just their second home game in their first eight contests to open the season. At 3-2-2, Florida has yet to win back-to-back contests on the young campaign.
“For us, just continue to play fast, continue to play to our identity and be hard to play against,” Brady Tkachuk said.
Though the Panthers have won just once in the last six matchups versus Vancouver, the Canucks have totaled only nine goals during a five-game skid that followed their 2-1-0 start.
Vancouver fell behind 2-0 versus the New York Islanders on Tuesday, then Max Sasson and Brock Boeser each scored in the second period to tie the contest. However, the Islanders scored early in the third and held on for a 3-2 win.
“I thought the effort was much better (Tuesday),” said Canucks coach Manny Malhotra, whose club is 0-4-0 on a six-game road stretch. “A lot of positive takeaways. Obviously, being able to come back from a 2-0 deficit and staying with the process. … More lessons learned.”
For the first time this season, the Canucks did not allow a power-play goal. Which potentially bodes well, considering Florida is 6-for-10 with the man-advantage in the last two games.
Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson notched an assist Tuesday to increase his team-leading points’ total to nine. He has 14 points in 13 career games against the Panthers.
The Canucks’ Leevi Merilainen, with a 2.41 goals-against average in three starts, made 35 saves Tuesday. Meanwhile, teammate Kevin Lankinen is 1-4-0 with a 6.79 GAA as a starter this season.
With Jacob Markstrom (2-1-1, 2.03 goals-against average) day-to-day while dealing with undisclosed tightness, Florida backup Akira Schmid, who boasts a 3.72 GAA in three games this season, could make his second straight start. Cooper Black was called up from Charlotte of the AHL, and would be an option to make his NHL debut Thursday.
The Panthers’ Seth Jones, who has recorded six assists in the last two games, scored twice the last time these two teams met in Sunrise (Nov. 17, 2025).
Teammate Sam Reinhart has scored all four of his goals in the last two contests, and he’s posted 20 points in 19 career games against the Canucks.
