Brady Tkachuk is quickly making his presence felt in South Florida, and Thursday night’s performance may have been his most memorable yet.
The 27-year-old forward recorded his second consecutive natural hat trick, scoring all three of Florida’s goals in a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Amerant Bank Arena. Tkachuk completed the comeback just 2:23 into overtime, securing the Panthers’ second straight victory and placing himself among some of the most exclusive company in NHL history.
The performance came just two days after Tkachuk recorded his first three goals as a Panther in Tuesday’s 7-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. His six goals over the past two games make him the first NHL player to record hat tricks in consecutive regular-season games since Auston Matthews accomplished the feat with Toronto in February 2024. (NHL)
Thursday’s matchup, however, required considerably more late-game heroics.
Despite controlling much of the opening period, Florida found itself trailing 2-0 after Vancouver capitalized on two scoring opportunities. Liam Ohgren opened the scoring at 7:23, converting a pass from Linus Karlsson following a defensive-zone turnover by the Panthers.
Elias Pettersson doubled Vancouver’s advantage later in the period, finishing a setup from Filip Chytil with just under three minutes remaining. Chytil was making his season debut after recovering from a preseason shoulder injury.
Florida continued to generate offensive pressure throughout the second period, but Vancouver goaltender Leevi Merilainen proved difficult to beat. The former Ottawa Senators netminder stopped all 24 shots he faced through the opening 40 minutes, preserving the Canucks’ two-goal advantage heading into the third.
With less than nine minutes remaining in regulation, Tkachuk finally broke through.
Taking a pass from Aaron Ekblad, Tkachuk fired a wrist shot from above the right faceoff circle past Merilainen at 11:11, cutting Vancouver’s lead to 2-1. His older brother, Matthew Tkachuk, recorded the secondary assist, extending his point streak to seven games. (Florida Panthers)
The Panthers continued pressing for the equalizer, eventually pulling goaltender Akira Schmid for an extra attacker in the closing moments of regulation.
With just 11.8 seconds remaining, Tkachuk delivered again.
Positioned in the right faceoff circle, he received a pass from Carter Verhaeghe and unleashed a powerful one-timer that beat Merilainen off the far post, tying the game at two and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
The dramatic equalizer forced overtime, but Tkachuk was far from finished.
Just over two minutes into the extra period, Seth Jones found Tkachuk moving into the offensive zone. The former Senators captain maneuvered into shooting position before beating Merilainen with a wrist shot, completing his second consecutive natural hat trick and securing Florida’s remarkable comeback victory.
The three goals came within an 11-minute, 12-second span, transforming what appeared to be a frustrating home defeat into one of the Panthers’ most memorable early-season victories. (Reuters)
Tkachuk’s accomplishment also carries significant historical implications.
He becomes just the third player in Panthers franchise history to record hat tricks in consecutive games, joining Pavel Bure in 2001 and Noel Acciari in 2019. More impressively, Tkachuk is only the third player in NHL history to record natural hat tricks in back-to-back games, joining Cy Denneny in 1923 and Petri Skriko in 1986.
The achievement is particularly remarkable considering his slow start to the season. After arriving in Florida through an offseason trade with Ottawa, Tkachuk struggled to find the scoresheet, recording just one point through his first six games.
Now, with six goals in his past two appearances, the former Senators captain has quickly established himself as a significant offensive presence alongside his older brother.
Matthew has also played an important role in Brady’s recent success, assisting on all three of his goals against Columbus and contributing another helper Thursday night. The brothers’ developing chemistry provides an encouraging sign for a Florida team looking to remain among the Eastern Conference’s elite. (Associated Press)
Beyond Tkachuk’s individual performance, Florida received another strong effort from its supporting cast. Seth Jones finished with two assists, while Schmid made 15 saves to earn his second consecutive victory.
Merilainen, meanwhile, turned aside 36 shots for Vancouver, keeping the Canucks in control for much of the evening before Florida’s late offensive surge.
The loss extended Vancouver’s losing streak to six games, dropping the Canucks to 2-6-1 on the season. Florida improved to 4-2-2, recording consecutive victories for the first time this year.
The Panthers will return to action Saturday against the Seattle Kraken, looking to build on their recent momentum.
For Tkachuk, the past two games have represented a remarkable turnaround from his quiet opening stretch in Florida. Six goals, two natural hat tricks and a place in NHL history have quickly changed the conversation surrounding one of the Panthers’ biggest offseason acquisitions.
And if his first two multi-goal performances in a Florida uniform are any indication, the Tkachuk brothers could become one of the most dangerous offensive combinations in the league.
For now, Brady Tkachuk has accomplished something only a handful of players in NHL history can claim, and he did so while almost single-handedly rescuing his team from defeat.
