Brady Tkachuk recorded a natural hat trick during an 8:03 span of the second period, and had an assist, while brother Matthew posted five assists, as the visiting Florida Panthers won 7-3 over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
Matthew assisted on all three of Brady’s goals, making him the first to assist on each of a brother’s natural hat trick — according to the NHL. The point totals tied a career high for each Tkachuk, while Seth Jones had four assists, Carter Verhaeghe scored twice and Sam Reinhart posted two goals with a helper for Florida, which went four-for-six on the power play.
With Jacob Markstrom day-to-day due to tightness, Florida’s Akira Schmid made 24 saves.
Kent Johnson scored early, while Denton Mateychuk and Cole Sillinger each added a late goal for the Blue Jackets. Cam Talbot stopped 17-of-23 shots before being pulled in the third period for Columbus.
Johnson opened the scoring with 5:49 remaining in the first period. Off an own-zone Panthers turnover, Johnson possessed the puck, broke free and went low to beat Schmid.
Florida, though, tied it 2:27 into the second period, when Matthew Tkachuk slid the puck through the slot for Brady to record his first goal as a Panther. Less than four minutes later, and on the power play, a circle-stationed Matthew sent the puck into the slot for Brady to bury.
Tkachuk completed the natural hat trick with 9:30 left in the middle frame. Again on the power play, Brady benefited from a generous bounce off the end-board of Reinhart’s shot for a top-shelf conversion.
With 6:16 to go in the second, Columbus’ Mathieu Olivier was issued a five-minute major penalty and game-misconduct for his slash between the legs of Florida’s Uvis Balinskis. And, in the waning moments of that extended power-play with 2:10 remaining before the second intermission, the Tkachuk brothers set up Verhaeghe’s successful net-side one-timer.
Matthew Tkachuk’s fifth assist came 1:20 into the third, via Reinhart’s tip-in, power-play score. Verhaeghe’s wrister through traffic with 16:32 remaining in regulation made it 6-1 and ended Talbot’s night.
Columbus’ Jet Greaves stopped all four shots faced in relief.
