Brady Tkachuk’s hat trick leads Panthers past Blue Jackets

The Florida Panthers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-3 on Tuesday after Brady Tkachuk scored three consecutive goals in the second period, each assisted by his brother Matthew Tkachuk. The natural hat trick was Brady’s first three goals since joining Florida, and Matthew finished with five assists as the brothers combined for nine points. Columbus opened the scoring in the first period, but Florida took the lead with four second-period goals. Brady tied the game with his first goal as a Panther, then scored twice more, including two power-play goals, completing the hat trick in a span of just over eight minutes. Matthew assisted on all three. Brady also added an assist, giving him four points in the game. The NHL credited Matthew with becoming the first brother to assist on every goal of a sibling’s natural hat trick. NHL statistics also identified Brady as the ninth Florida player to score a natural hat trick. Matthew’s five assists matched a Panthers club record, and he had four assists in the second period, including one on a Carter Verhaeghe goal late in the frame. Verhaeghe scored twice, and Sam Reinhart finished with two goals and an assist for Florida.