Senators Series Deficit is on Brady Tkachuk

However, Tkachuk didn’t win the fight. In fact, it was over almost as quickly as it began; Tkachuk got in a couple of shots before Hurricanes’ captain Jordan Staal clocked him in the chin with a strong right, knocking the Senator to the ice. That roar was from the rabid Carolina fans, and the Hurricanes knew it.

Carolina took full advantage of the momentum, limiting the Senators to just nine shots in the first two periods while going up 1-0 in the second period. Ottawa pushed back in the third, but they still went down 2-0 halfway through, forcing the Senators to play desperately. That led to another tussel between Tkachuk and Staal, leading to coincidental roughing penalties with 10 seconds left on the clock. While that’s hardly enough time to score two goals, Tkachuk still sapped any energy the Senators could have mustered for a late comeback, giving the Hurricanes the first win of the series.

Overall, Tkachuk didn’t play poorly. He finished with two shots on net, five hits, and led the Senators with a 57.89 Corsi For Percentage. But his two penalties came at the worst possible times, leaving his team to manage without one of their best players for over five minutes. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes still had their entire top six intact while their captain sat in the box. To put it bluntly, Tkachuk fired up the wrong team, then gave the Hurricanes every chance to build momentum while taking it away from his own team.

An Undisciplined Penalty Costs the Senators Game 2

It was the same story in game two. Overall, Tkachuk played a good game. In his game recap, The Hockey Writers’ Jacob Billington wrote, “He was all over the puck, he had a strong physical presence, and had multiple high-quality chances throughout the rest of the game. Once overtime hit, Tkachuk came very close to ending it, but Frederik Andersen continued his dominant night, shutting the door on that play.“

However, in the first period, Tkachuk got caught with another undisciplined play. After running into Sebastien Aho at centre ice, Tkachuk gave the Hurricanes’ star an extra punch to the back of the head as play continued in Ottawa’s end. The refs caught it, though, and sent the Senators’ captain to the box for two minutes. A minute later, Logan Stankoven scored on the power play, giving Carolina an early lead.

That penalty seemed to make Tkachuk gun-shy. He finished the game with just one hit and seemed unwilling to engage physically when given the chance. On the Hurricanes’ second goal, Tim Stutzle tries to drop the puck to Tkachuk, but misses his target and gives it to Aho, who charges into the Senators’ zone with Staal and scores an easy two-on-one goal. Tkachuk was right beside Aho when he initially got the puck, but made no move to throw a hit or try to restore possession, and he looked halfhearted getting back on defence. Tkachuk’s effort also looked less than ideal when Jordan Martinook scored the game-winner for Carolina in double overtime, especially when compared to the other Senators on the ice.

Tkachuk Isn’t Helping His Team

Heading into this series, the Senators were at a distinct disadvantage when it came to the penalty kill. While the Hurricanes were a slightly above-average team on the penalty kill, finishing the regular season with a 80.5% success rate, the Senators had the fourth-worst rate in the NHL with a 75.7%. The gap was even wider when including shorthanded goals, with Carolina climbing to third with 85.7%, while Ottawa went up four places with 79.1%.

Discipline has been a longstanding issue for Tkachuk, and if the Senators were going to have a chance at taking this series, their captain needed to stay out of the box as much as possible. However, he hasn’t done that. Of the Senators 10 penalties against the Hurricanes, Tkachuk has taken nearly a third of them, and leads the team with nine penalty minutes. For a team that averages a goal against every four penalties, that’s unacceptable. The Hockey Writers’ Dean Plunkett was especially critical of his antics, arguing that the Senators “need someone who does more than yap, take cheap shots, and drop the gloves. Be a leader, not a mouthpiece.”

Overall, the Senators have played well against the Hurricanes, including Tkachuk. But when it matters most, their captain has not risen to the occassion this series. He can be a game-breaking player, possessing an enviable combination of toughness and skill that is rarely seen in today’s NHL, and he’s always played with his heart on his sleeve, leading by example. However, Tkachuk hasn’t been the leader that the Senators have needed in the playoffs. That could end up not only costing the Senators wins, but the whole series.