SUNRISE - Brady Tkachuk scored, fought and spent five minutes in the penalty box alongside his brother Matthew in his Florida Panthers debut Sunday, a 6-3 preseason win over the Carolina Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena that gave the reigning Stanley Cup contenders their first look at a lineup built around both Tkachuk brothers.
Brady, acquired from the Ottawa Senators in a blockbuster trade in June, opened the scoring on a power-play feed from Matthew - a sequence that Panthers captain Sasha Barkov said illustrated exactly why having both brothers on the same side matters.
“I’ve always said he has one of the best hockey IQs in the whole NHL. I had to get open for him and he made a great pass,” Brady said of his brother’s assist.
Later in the game, Brady jumped in to defend Barkov after the captain was run in the corner, fighting Charles Alexis Legault and drawing a five-minute penalty. Matthew followed him to the box on an unsportsmanlike conduct call. Asked what the two discussed during their enforced timeout, Brady kept it brief: “It’s always funny how things happen. We were just catching up, I guess.”
Barkov, who spent years facing Brady Tkachuk as an Atlantic Division rival with Ottawa, said the dynamic has shifted sharply now that both brothers wear Florida’s colors. “I don’t want to fall in the corner, but you know he’s one of those guys who has your back at any moment. We do have each other’s back so that’s a great feeling. We have quite a few players on our team right now where it’s better to have them on our side,” Barkov said.
Florida Hockey Now first reported the details of the brothers’ debut. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice noted the result was secondary to keeping the roster intact. “We got through it healthy so, we’ll take small wins early,” Maurice said. “It’s nice to have all those guys out there, but it’s nicer for them, right? They like playing with each other and there was lots of chatter on that bench. So, it’s good.”
Maurice acknowledged Sunday’s result carried limited weight, as Carolina dressed a developmental lineup while Florida iced what amounts to its opening-night roster. That changes Tuesday in Raleigh, where the Hurricanes are expected to dress their full Stanley Cup championship lineup. Florida will respond in kind, making Tuesday’s 7 p.m. game a more meaningful early indicator of where the Panthers stand. The Panthers then face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday before hosting them Saturday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. The 2026-27 regular season opens Sept. 29 at Carolina at 5 p.m. on ESPN, with the home opener against the Minnesota Wild set for Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.