Tkachuk Brothers Make NHL History as Panthers Defeat Blue Jackets

On Tuesday night the Florida Panthers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-3 at Nationwide Arena. Brady Tkachuk recorded a natural hat trick in an 8-minute-3-second span of the second period, with his older brother Matthew assisting on each goal. Matthew added two more assists in the third period, finishing with five assists—a franchise record for a single game. The Panthers scored four straight goals in the second period, went 4-for-6 on the power play, and improved their all-time record against Columbus to 11-2 since the 2022-23 season.

ESPNColumbus DispatchBleacher ReportPanthers’ Brady Tkachuk scores natural hat trick; Matthew assisted all of them Japan TimesBrady Tkachuk scores natural hat trick, powers Panthers past Blue Jackets Sportskeeda

According to the NHL, Brady Tkachuk became the first player in league history to have his brother assist on every goal of a natural hat trick. He joined a short list of players whose brother recorded three assists on a teammate’s hat trick, a feat last achieved by the Sedin twins in 2015. The three goals marked Brady’s fourth career hat trick and his second natural hat trick, the first for a Panther since Matthew did so in 2024.

SportskeedaBleacher ReportBrady Tkachuk's natural hat trick makes NHL history, with brother Matthew assisting on all three Panthers’ Brady Tkachuk scores natural hat trick; Matthew assisted all of them Columbus DispatchJapan TimesBrady Tkachuk scores a natural hat-trick tonight!

• Brady Tkachuk – natural hat trick and one assist (four points).

Sportskeeda

• Matthew Tkachuk – three primary assists on the hat trick plus two additional assists (five points).

Brady Tkachuk scores natural hat trick, powers Panthers past Blue Jackets

• Sam Reinhart – two goals and an assist, including an empty-netter that set a Panthers record of 86 career power-play goals.

ESPN

• Carter Verhaeghe – two power-play goals.

Brady Tkachuk scores natural hat trick, powers Panthers past Blue Jackets

• Seth Jones – four assists.

Columbus Dispatch

• Akira Schmid – 24 saves; Cam Talbot allowed six goals on 23 shots before being replaced by Jet Greaves.

Brady Tkachuk scores natural hat trick, powers Panthers past Blue Jackets

• Columbus scoring – Kent Johnson opened the game, with later goals from Denton Mateychuk and Cole Sillinger.

ESPN

• Discipline – Columbus forward Mathieu Olivier received a five-minute major and game misconduct for slashing defenseman Uvis Balinskis, leading to a power-play that yielded two Panthers goals.

Columbus Dispatch

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice praised the line combination that produced the surge, noting the performance helped halt a two-game skid. Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness called the loss “self-inflicted,” emphasizing the penalties and defensive lapses that opened the door for the Panthers’ second-period run. Mathieu Olivier accepted responsibility for his major penalty, apologizing to teammates. Brady Tkachuk reflected on early pressure in Florida, saying the hat trick helped him settle into his role.

Columbus Dispatch

• “For sure, felt that pressure... felt like I wasn't doing my job, and wasn't good enough, but knew eventually it was going to come,” — Brady Tkachuk

Bleacher Report

• “A lot of it was self-inflicted things,” — Rick Bowness

Columbus Dispatch

• “I can sit here and try to rationalize it all I want, but I don't even have an explanation for it,” — Mathieu Olivier

Columbus Dispatch

The sibling collaboration gave a morale boost to a Panthers roster dealing with injuries to key players such as Aleksander Barkov. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and highlighted the offensive upside of the Tkachuk brothers, who have been paired with Sam Bennett. Florida improved to 3-2-2 and will look to carry the momentum into its next matchup against the Vancouver Canucks. Columbus must address discipline issues highlighted by Olivier’s ejection if the Jackets hope to stop recent second-period collapses.

ESPN