It’s hard to tell if being an Ottawa Senator right now feels really good or really, really stressful. Same with being a Tkachuk. Indeed, Brady Tkachuk and the Sens managed to pull off their first playoff victory since 2017, but then again, they are down 3-1 in this round 1 series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And game 5, which is the make-it-or-break-it one in the Sens’ case, is only 3 days away! Then there’s Matthew Tkachuk, who was just issued a five-minute penalty in game 3 between Florida and Tampa Bay for late-checking Jake Guentzel before Florida lost 5-1 but retained their 2-1 lead in the series. So, it really comes as no surprise when Tkachuk revealed his plans for the days between games.

Following the Senators’ somewhat surprising win, in what was a pretty tight game, Brady Tkachuk was asked about his plans for the next few days, and in his typical Brady way (that toes the line between passion and exhaustion), he replied, “Well, I think what’s going to be important is we’re not playing for a couple days, I don’t think. So you don’t have to kill yourself thinking about that game, the big game, for me I’m just going to enjoy some family time.” Brady said, adding, “Get my mind off of hockey for a bit and just enjoy being with my family, I think that’s important, not get too stressed out, not overthink anything, but when the time comes you know, we’ll all be ready.

We know Brady Tkachuk’s parents were last in the stands at game 3 of the Battle of Ontario, and hopefully to make up for the disappointment of that loss, they managed to catch game 4 as well.

And now it’s time for that much-needed break unless Tkachuk has some secret compartmentalization skills and decides to go watch his brother and collectively await his disciplinary fate before game 5! Who knows, but for now all that will matter is the fact that the Sens have lived to fight another day (and avoided getting swept).

What worked for Brady Tkachuk and the Senators in game 4?

A huge shoutout to Linus Ullmark here, who managed 32 saves on 35 shots! He showed us exactly why he was the 2023 Vezina winner and wasn’t just the goaltender from the 6-2 loss. Ullmark certainly held his own in the net during game 4, with coach Travis Green even saying, “I thought Linus really showed what he’s all about tonight. It’s been a lot of talk about him in the series, a lot of doubters, even in this room, and man, he looked like a guy that has won a Vezina and [that you] can win with, and the pressure was not a big deal for him, and he stood very tall for us.”

Again, in terms of scoring, the same applied: Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto each scored their first playoff goals, which is commendable because the Leafs didn’t necessarily play badly; they just suffered some miscommunication around the D that eventually got away from them.

The Sens even managed to hold their own in the 4-minute power play that could have gone one of very many ways (3 power-play goals for the Leafs in game 1, remember). And then there was Tkachuk, who recorded one assist but, more importantly, landed a timely hit on Pontus Holmberg that helped David Perron score the go-ahead goal.

So there is a lot to ponder, rethink, and evaluate if one chooses to. But Brady Tkachuk probably knows what’s best for him, and his pre-game mindset and family time certainly sound nourishing. We don’t know if this family time away from hockey will involve Matthew Tkachuk, though; it’s tough to take space when it’s all in the family!