Lessons From Matthew Tkachuk Might Lead Brady and Senators to Fail Against Toronto in Round 1 of Playoffs

With the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs prepping to face off in the first round of the Stanley Cup series in less than 12 hours, experts are chiming in about what they think will make or break the game for both teams. It’s a postseason Battle of Ontario that’s over 20 years in the making. While Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Maple Leafs will not be able to make the series on account of injury, with Brady Tkachuk set to make a bold return, things are looking up for the Senators, that is, if they can keep their cool, according to Steve Warne of the Sens Nation podcast.

In a recent episode of the podcast, the Hockey News site editor shared his thoughts on what he thinks could stand in the way of a Senators’ win.  Who’d be surprised if he did a 4 Nations thing and had a fight right before the opening faceoff? That’s how jacked up he’s going to be,” said Warne. But I think it’s really important that he [Tkachuk] keeps the emotions in check because that’s where the Leafs will beat you.”

According to Warne, the Sens were in with a chance, but only if they could keep the unnecessary penalties to a minimum. “I think five on five the Sens are right there. But if you take a bunch of penalties and give the Leafs a bunch of power plays, you’re going to lose the series. And so that’s a big factor going into this thing that the kids keep their emotions in check,” he added.

And it’s true, Brady, who’s known for his fiery passion and significant collection of penalty minutes, may not be able to afford taking those sorts of risks at this point in the postseason and with his recent injury history. However, co-host Greg Kennedy seems to think it’s the forechecking that’ll give the Senators the edge they need to win, aka that characteristic Tkachuk grit!

It runs in the family: Brady Tkachuk has penalty minutes in his genes. Could this help him beat the Leafs?

The Tkachuk name comes with an entire legacy of penalty minutes. Matthew and Brady’s father, Keith Tkachuk, not only scored over 500 goals in his over 20-year NHL career but also managed to collect 2,219 penalty minutes. And this is certainly a trait that hasn’t missed his two sons, who both have minutes stacked up in the 600s and 700s. However, while Matthew has started to show restraint and tactical playing, often times drawing more penalty minutes from opponents than giving them up, Brady has yet to demonstrate that sort of foresight.

However, Greg Kennedy doesn’t seem to think that this is a bad thing. Noting how the playing styles of both teams seem to have interchanged over the past few years and especially after their 2000s rivalry, Kennedy said, “You look back on that [the 2000s], and it was the Leafs who were the bunch of jerks—physical and forechecking, get-in-your-face. And the Sens were the high-end skill team. It’s a complete role reversal. Well, not a complete reversal. I mean, the Sens do have skill, but it’s no secret that the two best players in this series both happen to play for the Leafs.

Kennedy went on to add that in the face of the Leafs’ slick plays, the Sens will just have to resort to being that nasty, in-your-face team that’s a nuisance to play against. The Senators need to hone in on their grit to score a win against the Leafs, as after multiple losses, maybe this grit is what will finally give the Senators a much-needed edge.

Kennedy didn’t stop there, though, stressing that Brady Tkachuk can’t bear the entire burden of this strategy. “Brady’s going to need help. If you want to sustain that sort of demeanor—that attitude, that ‘We’re not going to take any crap from you; as a matter of fact, we’re going to start some crap with you’— I think that Brady’s gonna need help, and that may be a key factor in this team having success here is getting in the face of the Leafs and ticking them off and getting them off their game and glove face washes and all that sort of stuff.”

Well, we’ll know soon enough which path the Senators choose to take and whether it will be worth it. Though, to play it safe for the very first game of the playoffs, maybe Brady Tkachuk should focus on reaching his father’s 500-goal record rather than the penalty minutes one!

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