Brady Tkachuk delivered another standout performance, scoring an overtime winner to help the Florida Panthers defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Thursday night. The victory came after Tkachuk recorded his second consecutive hat trick, a feat that places him in rare company on the franchise's list of players with three goals in back-to-back games, alongside Pavel Bure and Noel Acciari.
Tkachuk's three goals on Thursday came within an 11:12 span. His tying goal with 12.8 seconds left in regulation and his overtime winner 2:23 into the extra period were key moments in Florida's comeback. He also became the third player in NHL history to score a natural hat trick in back-to-back games, following Petri Skriko in 1986 and Cy Denneny in 1923. The last NHL player to accomplish back-to-back hat tricks in regular-season play was Auston Matthews in February 2024.
Tkachuk, who was traded from Ottawa this offseason in a deal that sent him to Florida for four draft picks, had faced criticism after the Panthers' first six games, when he had only one point and no goals. Teammate Seth Jones praised his impact, pointing to his physicality and tenacity as well as his scoring. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said players with big-moment success "can feel it."
Tkachuk, whose father Keith is a Hall of Famer and whose brother Matthew also plays for Florida, said his focus remains on team goals. "It's not about the individual stuff," he said. "There are bigger goals out there." With six goals in a two-game span, he is the first member of his family to reach that mark.
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing