Talk about taking the fight to your enemies! After over 20 years, the Battle of Ontario is here, and the Toronto Maple Leafs already have the advantage after winning Game 1 a couple of days ago. But the Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk isn’t one to give up without a proper fight.

The Leafs and the Senators have locked horns today for the second game of the seven-game series. And again, with Toronto having the home advantage, the Leafs looked in control of the game. However, at the 15:41 mark of the second period of the game, Brady Tkachuk scored the first postseason goal of his career as his pass into the slot took a deflection off the Leafs’ Brandon Carlo and went past netminder Anthony Stolarz, and Scotiabank Arena could hardly respond to the sudden blow. ESPN took to X on April 22 to mark Tkachuk’s milestone career moment with a thunderous caption: “BRADY TKACHUK’S FIRST CAREER PLAYOFF GOAL.”

In the first game of the seven-match series, the Leafs thrashed the Sens 6-2. Heartbreaking, indeed. And yet, for Brady Tkachuk, the chance to show his worth in the Stanley Cup playoffs was exciting. After all, this is the first time that the 25-year-old NHL star has made it to the postseason. Ottawa has been unable to book a spot in the playoffs since 2017 and secured its berth this time with a mediocre 45-30-7 regular season record. It suffices to say that Tkachuk was feeling the rush seep through him.

Before the first game of Round 1, Brady admitted that it was “surreal” to think that he would be competing in the playoffs for the first time in his career. But, sometimes, incredible excitement makes your body and mind calm, and Tkachuk revealed that he had one of the best nights’ sleep in his life before taking on the Leafs on Sunday. However, his heightened energy levels received a blow as soon as he took to the ice for the Senators’ first postseason game since 2017.

On April 20, Brady Tkachuk was met with thundering “Brady sucks!” chants by the Toronto fans. But the winger isn’t new to high-stakes games and knows such slandering is part and parcel of the sport. “I guess I expected it. So I couldn’t care less,” Tkachuk told reporters after the match, claiming that such backlash isn’t enough to keep him down for long. Deja vu, for Brady?

At the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off in February this year, Tkachuk and Team USA faced a similar situation as Canadian fans heavily booed the Star Spangled Banner at Centre Bell. With the same thing happening in back-to-back matches, Brady and his brother Matthew took matters into their own hands and joined teammate J.T. Miller to square off against their rivals on the ice in three separate fights. However, while it’s understandable that such relentless retaliation would get under anyone’s skin, Tkachuk needs to pull his socks up and fast.

Brady Tkachuk needs to up his game

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators have met in the postseason only four times previously. And the Leafs walked away from all four of those matches as the winners. With that in mind, it’s not difficult to fathom that the Sens are desperate to open their postseason scoring book against the arch-rivals. And yet, in this year’s first game of the seven-match series, Tkachuk could barely make his presence felt. Despite multiple shots on target, Brady failed to get his name on the scoresheet.

On the other hand, the Leafs went 4-for-4 in the power play, further underscoring why the side managed to finish the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs’ momentum didn’t seem to slow down today either, as Max Domi’s OT goal brought the hosts the second straight playoff victory. But it’s still a long way from the finishing line, and Brady Tkachuk & Co. will have time to recuperate and get back on their feet.

“It’s been a long time coming,” the Senators’ star said ahead of the first playoff match of his career. But can he also make the most of the opportunity that has finally come his way after all this time? Can Brady Tkachuk help Ottawa find its winning ways as it hosts the enemy on Thursday? What do you think?