Oh, brother: Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk both score in Panthers-Senators game
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored for Ottawa. Matthew Tkachuk scored for Florida.
Before the brothers become teammates, the sibling rivalry was on display Saturday night.
For the third time in 24 head-to-head meetings, the Tkachuk brothers both scored in the same game. It also happened on Feb. 27, 2021 — when Matthew Tkachuk was playing for Calgary — and on Oct. 29, 2022, the first time they met on the ice after Matthew Tkachuk joined the Panthers.
Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring for Ottawa in the first period, getting his 21st goal of the season. That tied him with his brother for goals this season — and goals in head-to-head matchups as well, giving them seven apiece in those meetings.
Those stat ties didn’t last for long.
Matthew Tkachuk got Florida on the board in the second period, his 22nd of the season and the start of a four-goal outburst by the Panthers in those 20 minutes.
And now, they go from opponents to teammates. The Tkachuk brothers will both play for USA Hockey at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that starts on Wednesday. They’ll be wearing the USA sweater just like their father, NHL legend Keith Tkachuk — a four-time Olympian who had a hat trick during the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Brady Tkachuk told Sportsnet before the game in an on-ice interview. “It’s something that we’ve always dreamt of doing together.”
Saturday’s game was the first time Brady Tkachuk was on the ice in Sunrise since the postgame celebration on June 24, 2024 — the night the Panthers beat Edmonton in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Brady Tkachuk was there to cheer on his brother throughout the playoffs, and the Senators go into the 4 Nations break firmly in playoff contention.
In his seventh NHL season, Brady Tkachuk has yet to experience playoff hockey. Matthew Tkachuk said he hopes this is the year that changes.
“That’s the most special memory, just being able to see my best friend accomplish our childhood dream,” Brady Tkachuk said when asked about what being in Sunrise for the Stanley Cup clincher meant to him. “And to see that and see how happy he was, it definitely lit a fire inside me to be able to do it myself. I’m looking forward to that day.”
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