yardbarker
After a slow start to the season, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are beginning to showcase their potential as a dynamic duo for the Florida Panthers. The brothers, now teammates, made headlines with a record-setting offensive outburst and will look to keep the momentum going when the Panthers host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night in Sunrise, Florida. Vancouver, meanwhile, is desperate to avoid a sixth consecutive defeat.
In Florida's first five games of the 2026-27 campaign, Matthew Tkachuk was productive with three goals and an assist, while Brady went pointless in his first five contests as a Panther. However, Brady showed signs of life on Monday, notching an assist in a 5-3 loss at Buffalo. Then, on Tuesday in Columbus, he erupted for a natural hat trick in an 8:03 span of the second period. Matthew assisted on all three goals, becoming the first player in NHL history to set up each goal of a brother's natural hat trick, per the league. Matthew added two more assists and Brady chipped in another helper as Florida snapped a two-game slide with a 7-3 victory over the Blue Jackets.
"It wasn't the start I wanted personally, but you just have to stick with it," Brady Tkachuk told Scripps Sports. "Now, I've got to start returning the favor for Matthew." He'll have a chance to do so on Thursday, when the Panthers play just their second home game out of their first eight this season. At 3-2-2, Florida has yet to win consecutive games.
"For us, it's about continuing to play fast, play to our identity, and be hard to play against," Brady said.
Although the Panthers have only one win in their last six meetings with Vancouver, the Canucks have managed just nine goals during a five-game skid that followed a 2-1-0 start. On Tuesday, Vancouver spotted the New York Islanders a 2-0 lead before Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored in the second period to tie it. But the Islanders tallied early in the third and held on for a 3-2 win.
"I thought the effort was much better," said Canucks coach Manny Malhotra, whose team is 0-4-0 on a six-game road trip. "A lot of positive takeaways. Obviously, being able to come back from a 2-0 deficit and staying with the process. More lessons learned." For the first time this season, Vancouver did not allow a power-play goal, which could be a positive sign given Florida's 6-for-10 success rate with the man advantage over its last two games.
Vancouver's Elias Pettersson recorded an assist on Tuesday to boost his team-leading point total to nine. He has 14 points in 13 career games against the Panthers. Canucks goaltender Leevi Merilainen, who has a 2.41 goals-against average in three starts, made 35 saves on Tuesday. Meanwhile, teammate Kevin Lankinen is 1-4-0 with a 6.79 GAA as a starter this season.
With Jacob Markstrom (2-1-1, 2.03 GAA) day-to-day due to undisclosed tightness, Florida backup Akira Schmid, who has a 3.72 GAA in three games, could make his second straight start. Cooper Black was recalled from Charlotte of the AHL and could make his NHL debut on Thursday.
Panthers defenseman Seth Jones, who has six assists in the last two games, scored twice in the last meeting between these teams in Sunrise on Nov. 17, 2025. Teammate Sam Reinhart has scored all four of his goals this season in the last two contests and has 20 points in 19 career games against Vancouver.
Originally reported by yardbarker.