The NHL came down with fines Thursday after a heated third-period scrum in Ottawa spilled over into the kind of post-whistle chaos that can empty wallets fast.
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was fined $5,000 for roughing Ottawa Senators forward Dylan Cozens, while Senators forward Nick Cousins was fined $4,091.49 for unsportsmanlike conduct toward an opponent while on the bench. Both penalties were the maximum allowed under the current collective bargaining agreement.
The flashpoint came minutes into the third period of a much-anticipated Atlantic Division matchup, the first time former Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk faced his old team. With Senators goalie Linus Ullmark being attended to by training staff, a scuffle broke out in front of the Ottawa bench and quickly turned ugly.
It started with Matthew Tkachuk and Cozens mixing it up, mostly jawing and grabbing. Then Brady Tkachuk jumped in and got hold of Cozens while Matthew was still tied up. From the bench, Cousins reached over in an attempt to pull Matthew off his teammate as the brothers worked over Cozens.
Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk each were assessed minor penalties for roughing. Cousins got two minutes for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct.
The Senators ended up having the last word on the scoreboard, beating Florida 5-1 despite Brady Tkachuk opening the scoring. The game featured only one fight, between Ottawa’s Hayden Hodgson and Florida’s Boko Imama, but the penalties piled up anyway, with the two teams combining for 84 penalty minutes.
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Panthers Just Saw A Costly Senators Concern Emerge
The Senators had their night against Florida take an uneasy turn early in the third period when Linus Ullmark exited after an apparent lower-body injury. Ottawas goaltender had stopped 16 of 17 shots before leaving the game, and he needed help from the training staff and Claude Giroux to get off the ice.
For a team that has leaned on Ullmark as an important piece this season, the timing is the bigger concern than anything else. Ottawa is still waiting for a report on the severity of the injury, and until theres more clarity, the setback hangs over a group that can least afford another uncertainty in goal. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Fans Turned Brady Tkachuks Return Into Something Personal
Brady Tkachuks first night back in Ottawa as a Panther had all the ingredients for a charged homecoming, even before the scoreboard got away from Florida. Canadian Tire Centre buzzed from the opening shifts, with Senators fans eager to see their former captain in a setting that felt a lot more personal than a routine regular-season matchup, and Tkachuk even gave them an early jolt by scoring the games first goal.
The temperature only rose as the night wore on, with the crowd turning on him in a way that made the reunion feel less like a welcome-back and more like a reckoning. Ottawas fans made their feelings clear throughout the night, and by the end of it the building had been fully swept up in a lopsided win that left Tkachuk with an ugly stat line and a memory he is not likely to forget anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Fans Just Turned Brady Tkachuks Return Into A Real Rivalry
Brady Tkachuks return to Ottawa on Oct. 21 had the kind of edge that usually only shows up in playoff hockey, not a regular-season stop in October. The former Senators captain came back in a Florida Panthers uniform and immediately drew the kind of reaction that made it clear how little time has passed since his move, with Ottawa fans greeting him with boos and chants throughout the night.
The atmosphere around the game felt bigger than one players homecoming, and thats the part worth watching now. Ottawa and Florida have already started to look like teams with some genuine bad blood, and Tkachuks first trip back only sharpened it. If this is the tone the building sets whenever the Panthers come through, the next meeting figures to carry a lot more than just two points. [Read more 🡒]