‘Always dream of happening’: Tkachuk brothers have historic night in Columbus

COLUMBUS – For most of the hockey world, it was a Frozen Frenzy. 

But in Columbus, it was a Tkachuk Frenzy. 

Putting on a show, Brady Tkachuk’s natural hat trick and Matthew Tkachuk’s five assists lifted the Florida Panthers to a 7-3 win over the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. 

The win snapped a two-game skid. 

Trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Panthers broke the game open in the second, with Brady scoring three times in a span of just 8:03. 

The hat trick was the third-fastest three goals ever scored by a Panthers skater, trailing only Noel Acciari (3:59) and Steve Reinprecht (5:11). 

Scripted like the perfect storybook, Matthew set up all three. 

“It was a great play by Matthew to kind of get the ball rolling there,” Brady said of the assist on his first goal. “Wanted to keep going and I thought we just got better and better as game went on.”

Brady became the eighth player in franchise history to score a natural hat trick, joining Matthew and a list that includes Pavel Bure, Carter Verhaeghe and Jonathan Marchessault. 

It was also the first time in NHL history that a player’s sibling assisted on every goal of a natural hat trick, and just the ninth time any player had a brother set up all three goals of a hat trick, a group that includes Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and Anton, Marian, and Peter Stastny. 

“I’ve liked his game,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “There’s some chemistry there. He and his brother played together their whole lives as kids, and there’s something there for sure.” 

Brady added an assist on a Verhaeghe goal later in the period to finish the night with four points (3G, 1A). 

“It’s fun to watch the Tkachuk brothers play together,” said Verhaeghe, who scored twice in the win. “They have some pretty good chemistry. They’ve been great.” 

Matthew’s four helpers in the second period set a franchise record for assists in a period.

He also recorded his 21st career four-point game, moving him past Patrick Kane and Joe Pavelski for the fourth most by a U.S.-born player, behind only Pat LaFontaine, Jeremy Roenick, and Joe Mullen. 

The five-assist game was the second of Matthew’s career, making him just the third U.S.-born player in NHL history to do it multiple times, joining LaFontaine and Gary Suter. 

Together, Brady and Matthew became the third set of brothers in the past 40 years to each post four or more points in the same game, following the Sedin’s and Stastny’s.  

“It’s pretty cool,” Brady said of the game. “It’s something that of course you kind of always dream of happening.”

Their combined nine points marked the first time a pair of brothers reached that total as teammates since the Sedins did it in 2015. 

“It’s nice to see him get rewarded for doing the small things every game, the little things, and staying with it,” defenseman Seth Jones said of Brady. 

Jones, who had a big night of his own, finished with four assists. 

Jones, Matthew, and Brady became the first trio of Panthers teammates to each reach four points in the same game since Jan. 31, 2022, and just the third time in franchise history. 

Brady also became the fourth player in Panthers history to score each of his first three goals with the team in the same game, joining Radim Vrbata, Dave Gagner and Ray Sheppard. 

While there were plenty of special moments on Tuesday for the two Tkachuks, a post-goal hug might’ve been the favorite moment for the family. 

“I think my mom was more happy about the big hug celebration,” Brady said. “She commented on that.”