SUNRISE, Fla. – There’s a hat shortage in Sunrise.
Making himself right at home in his new surroundings, Brady Tkachuk scored hat tricks in consecutive games to help lead the Florida Panthers to wins in their last two games.
After posting four points (3G, 1A) in a 7-3 win on the road over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, the 27-year-old forward scored all three of Florida’s goals in a 3-2 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.
“He’s a true gamer,” teammate Seth Jones said. “I think he impacts, you know, he’s obviously scoring right now, but he impacts the game in so many ways -- with his physicality and his tenacity around the net. He played an unreal game tonight.”
Helping the Panthers to a 4-2-2 record, Brady currently ranks tied for fifth in the NHL with a team-leading six goals.
For more on his historic hat-centric performance, check out the key numbers below.
1: The number of players to record consecutive natural hat tricks in Panthers history. Yep, it’s just Brady. For those new to hockey, a natural hat trick occurs when a player scores three goals in a single game without any other player from either side scoring in between.
2: The number of players that have capped off a hat trick with a game-winning goal in overtime for the Panthers. Blowing the roof off Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday, Brady joined captain Aleksander Barkov as the only two players in franchise history send hats flying in the extra frame. Barkov did so twice -- first on Dec. 15, 2018, and then once again on April 19, 2022.
2:19: Brady’s shift length prior to scoring the game-tying goal with 11.8 seconds left in regulation and forcing overtime against the Canucks. Thanks to a few stoppages and a timeout, the Panthers newest star had plenty of energy left in the tank.
3. The number of players in Panthers history to register hat tricks in consecutive games. With his three goals against Vancouver, Brady joined Noel “Cookie” Acciari (Dec. 16-20, 2019) and Pavel Bure (Feb. 10-14, 2001) as the only three players in a very small club.
4. The number of players that have started off their career as a Panther with a hat trick. Acquired from the Ottawa Senators in a blockbuster trade in June, Brady joined Radim Vrbata (Oct. 26, 2017), Dave Gagner (Oct. 4, 1997) and Ray Sheppard (March 21, 1996) as the only players in franchise history to score three goals in their first game with Florida.
8: The number of players to score a natural hat trick in Panthers history. With his three straight goals in Columbus, Brady joined brother Matthew Tkachuk (Jan. 9, 2024), Carter Verhaeghe (April 1, 2023), Noel Acciari (Dec. 20, 2019), Jonathan Marchessault (March 25, 2017), Steve Reinprecht (Oct. 30, 2009), David Booth (Nov. 9, 2008) and Pavel Bure (Feb. 14, 2001 & March 3, 1999) as the only players in franchise history with natural hat tricks.
8:03: How fast Brady completed his hat trick against the Blue Jackets. In the history of the Panthers, only Noel Acciari (3:59 on Dec. 20, 2019 vs. DAL) and Steve Reinprecht (5:11 on Oct. 30, 2009 vs. DAL) had scored three goals in succession in a shorter period of time.
9: The number of players in NHL history that have scored a hat trick with their brother assisting on all three goals. A banner night for anyone with the last name Tkachuk, all three of Brady’s goals against the Blue Jackets were assisted by his brother Matthew.
1986: The last time a player scored consecutive natural hat tricks in the NHL. Prior to Brady’s outburst on Thursday, the last player with back-to-back natural hat tricks was Petri Skriko of the Vancouver Canucks from Nov. 18-21, 1986. Before that, the feat had been achieved just one other time by Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators from Feb. 21-24, 1923.
2024: The last time a player scored consecutive hat tricks of any kind. Before Brady went off against the Canucks and Blue Jackets, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the last player to score back-to-back hat tricks, achieving the feat from Feb. 15-17, 2024.
