- Brady Tkachuk put up a Gordie Howe hat trick in his first game as a Florida Panther
- He scored twice and set up Aleksander Barkov in a 6-3 win over Carolina
- Read below for video of the debut and Paul Maurice’s reaction
Brady Tkachuk needed one night to introduce himself in South Florida.
The winger Florida landed from Ottawa in the summer blockbuster put up a goal, an assist and a fight in his Panthers debut Sunday, then tacked on an empty-netter in a 6-3 win over Carolina at Amerant Bank Arena. Three points and a Gordie Howe hat trick in game one.
Take a look at the full video of his night:
Carolina struck first at 6:04 when Dominik Badinka forced a turnover and banked the puck in off Jacob Markstrom’s back.
Tkachuk answered on the power play at 12:02, beating Pyotr Kochetkov with a snipe from the slot. His older brother Matthew set it up:
Brady was asked about the pass afterward.
“It was a great play by him. He’s got one of the best hockey IQ’s.”
He returned the favor in the second period. Aleksander Barkov took a backhand feed from Tkachuk and buried a breakaway at 2:30 to put Florida up 2-1. Barkov had not played a game in Sunrise since Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final after missing all of last season with a knee injury.
The third piece came in the third period. Carolina defenseman Mike Reily shoved Barkov head-first into the boards and Tkachuk dropped the gloves on him.
Barkov was asked about his new linemate sticking up for him.
“You just know he’s one of those guys that has your back in any moment. We have each other’s backs here. It’s a great feeling.”
The empty-netter at 17:45 closed the book on it.
Paul Maurice was more interested in how Tkachuk looked physically than in the counting stats.
“I think it was a continuation of his first three days. He put in some tremendous work this summer into his fitness level so he can drive at a high pace. I was most pleased with that.”
Cole Reinhardt scored twice and has now found the net in five straight games he has played dating to the end of last season. Niko Mikkola led the Panthers defensemen with three points.
Tkachuk gets Carolina again on Sept. 29, that time for real.
