Brady Tkachuk wasted no time Sunday, and that’s become part of the story with him now.
The former Senators captain was back at it for the Florida Panthers against the Boston Bruins, and this one started the second the puck hit the ice. Tkachuk and Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov dropped the gloves right after the opening faceoff, setting the tone for a chippy night.
The two weren’t finished there. By the end of the second period, Tkachuk and Zadorov were at it again, and both were handed 10 minute misconducts. Then, with 5:29 left and Florida trailing by three, Tkachuk picked up another 10 minute misconduct, this time alongside former teammate Mark Kastelic.
Tkachuk’s habit of mixing it up before games really get going has been building for a while. It started in February 2025, when he was with Team USA against Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal.
He later carried that approach to Ottawa.
On March 2026, Tkachuk and then-Islanders captain Anders Lee fought immediately after the opening faceoff. The two went at it again on April 11, this time on Long Island.
A week later, Tkachuk took the same energy into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In Game 1 of the Senators’ first-round series against Carolina, he and Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal fought just three seconds into the postseason.
That early burst of aggression didn’t help Tkachuk’s side. Carolina swept the series, won the Cup, and Staal was playoff MVP.
Sunday’s matchup also came with some old history between Tkachuk and Zadorov. Back in January 2025, during a game in Boston, Zadorov was picked up on a microphone trying to needle Tkachuk the whole way.
"You want to get the crowd going?" Zadorov asked before bringing Tkachuk’s brother Matthew into the conversation.
"I didn’t know you were a bigger [expletive] than your brother. I thought more of you."
They eventually fought in the closing seconds of that game, and both got 10 minute misconducts.
This time, they didn’t wait nearly as long. And for Senators fans, the best moment came after the punches stopped.
Once Tkachuk had gone down to the ice and Zadorov was still upright throwing rights, Tkachuk lifted a hand to shield his face. Some Sens fans quickly screen-grabbed the moment and spread it on social media, even though the image made it look like Tkachuk was asking Zadorov to stop.
Florida fell 4-1, and the two teams piled up 126 penalty minutes in the process.
In Other News...
Senators Fans Will Love Who Reunited For This Ottawa Throwback
Daniel Alfredsson slipped back into a No. 12 Ottawa Senators jersey for a charity Battle of Ontario alumni game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Peterborough Memorial Centre, and the setting had the kind of nostalgic pull that tends to hit Senators fans right away. The event drew a sellout crowd and brought together a familiar cast of former Ottawa players, including Chris Neil, Wade Redden, Jason York, Marc Methot and Craig Anderson, turning the night into a throwback built around old rivalries and even older memories.
For Alfredsson, the evening also offered a chance to look back on a career that still looms large in Ottawa hockey history, with the 2007 Stanley Cup Final among the moments that still define his time with the club. The reunion had the feel of a one-night reminder of how much those teams meant to the fan base, and how quickly a jersey, a rink and a few longtime teammates can bring all of it rushing back. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Fans Need To See What Zayne Parekh Is Becoming
Zayne Parekh has started to look a lot more like a player Calgary can trust on the back end, and the early returns are encouraging. The young defenseman has already emerged as one of the more productive Flames blueliners, while also showing real growth in his all-around game compared with his rookie season. His defensive numbers have taken a noticeable step forward, even if the deployment has still leaned toward softer matchups and more favorable offensive-zone starts.
Now the test gets harder. With Kevin Bahl out for the season, Calgary is going to need Parekh to handle a heavier workload and more demanding minutes on the blue line, which is where the progress becomes even more interesting. It is one thing to flash improvement in a sheltered role, and another to sustain it when the matchups tighten and the margin for error shrinks. [Read more 🡒]