The Ottawa Senators made sure Brady Tkachuk’s return to Canadian Tire Centre came with plenty of noise and even less comfort.
With fans chanting “We don’t need you!,” Ottawa rolled past Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Wednesday night. Tkachuk, who spent eight seasons with the Senators and served five of them as captain, was booed throughout the game in a tense homecoming that also saw several fans toss “Tkachuk” jerseys onto the ice.
Ottawa improved to 7-3-0 with a game that stayed emotional from the opening period all the way through a chippy third. Florida, now 5-3-2, had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Tkachuk gave the Panthers the first punch anyway, scoring the game’s opening goal on a power play midway through the first period. It came on a feed from his brother. Ottawa answered quickly when Tim Stutzle tied it just over four minutes later with a one-timer off a Jake Sanderson pass.
That was the start of a night where the Senators kept stacking goals while the Panthers kept getting dragged into the emotion. Ottawa scored twice in the second period, with Claude Giroux snapping home his second of the season through traffic from the top of the slot midway through the frame. Shane Pinto added another late in the period to make it 3-1.
By then, Florida was already showing signs of frustration. The Panthers “seemed to get caught up in the emotion of the game early on and drew a couple needless penalties.”
Ottawa then put it away in the third. Warren Foegele finished off a strong pass from Dylan Cozens at the eight-minute mark to push the lead to 4-1, and Stephen Halliday added the fifth goal on a Stutzle drop-pass.
Tensions boiled over in the final period as well. Tkachuk, his brother Matthew and Sam Bennett tangled in front of Ottawa’s bench, and Tkachuk later had a heated exchange with Cozens. Earlier in the period, Ottawa’s Ridly Greig and Bennett dropped the gloves.
The Senators also had to navigate a scare in goal. Linus Ullmark left early in the third period after making a pad save on Tkachuk. He was down to one goal allowed on 17 shots before exiting, and Sam Ersson handled one shot in relief.
Florida’s Akira Schmid made 25 saves in the loss.
One note from the numbers: Sanderson’s assist on Stutzle’s goal helped him become the second-fastest Senators defenceman to reach 40 career multi-point games, doing it in 305 games. Erik Karlsson did it in 233.
Ottawa now turns right around for a Thursday home date with the San Jose Sharks. Florida heads to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Thursday.
In Other News...
Panthers Just Saw A Costly Senators Concern Emerge
The Panthers picked up another bit of late-game information to monitor when Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark left Sundays matchup after an apparent lower-body injury. He had been sharp before exiting, turning aside 16 of 17 shots, and his departure came early in the third period after he needed assistance from the Senators training staff and Claude Giroux.
For Florida, the immediate concern is less about the one night than what it could mean down the road if Ottawa is forced to navigate more games without its starting goalie. No severity update has been reported, and Ullmarks availability has already been a storyline this season after he previously missed time following an earlier injury against Boston, along with a personal leave of absence. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Loss Put One Frustrating Question On Floridas Defense
The Panthers latest loss left the familiar concern hanging over the blue line, because the game turned into a test of depth, discipline and poise more than anything else. Jordan Spence logged nearly 19 minutes, chipped in two shots and two hits, and helped create a scoring chance, while Nikolas Matinpalo mixed in some useful work despite taking a high-sticking penalty and absorbing plenty of contact.
Carter Yakemchuk had a rougher night in his own end, even if he managed four blocks, and the kind of miscues that can tilt a tight game were impossible to ignore. In goal, Linus Ullmark was steady enough with his positioning and came up with key saves, while Samuel Ersson saw little action late, leaving Florida with one more reminder that the defense still has to tighten up when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Walk Into A Penguins Game Suddenly About Much More
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For a Pittsburgh club already dealing with a losing streak and uneven play in its own end, the off-ice concern only deepened the sense that nothing has come easily lately. The team has had enough trouble sorting out defense and goaltending, but in moments like this, the larger concern is simply getting a player the right care and waiting for the next update. [Read more 🡒]