Brady Tkachuk scores on the power play in Panthers debut
Matthew fed him, Brady buried it from the slot, and the Panthers' preseason opener was tied 1-1 in the first.
Brady Tkachuk's first goal in a Florida sweater came on the power play, and it came off his brother's stick.
With the Panthers on the man advantage in the first period of Sunday night's preseason opener against the Carolina Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena, Tkachuk took a pass from Matthew and scored from the slot to tie the game 1-1.
"A good feeling, but there's a lot more room for growth," Brady told Scripps Sports sideline reporter Katie Engleson during the first intermission.
The crowd gave him a loud ovation during the starting lineup announcement. He noticed.
"It's not even a sneaky awesome market anymore," he said. "Everyone knows how great a place this is to live and play, and the fanbase and everybody has been awesome."
Florida acquired Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators in a June trade after eight seasons with the Senators. He had 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 60 games for Ottawa last season. He and Matthew are the sixth set of brothers to play for the Panthers, per the club.
Sunday also marked Aleksander Barkov's return to the ice in Sunrise for the first time since Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. The captain, who missed all of last season with an injury, was slotted between Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart.
"I don't really coach Barky, I just kind of cheer," coach Paul Maurice said. "What is important is that he's got a new left winger."
It is the first of four preseason games for Florida.
