OTTAWA — Brady Tkachuk wanted nothing more than to deliver a win for Ottawa Senators fans.
The Senators captain’s voice cracked with emotion as he spoke to the media post-game. He expressed a deep sense of disappointment, wishing he could have done more after Ottawa fell 4-2 on Thursday night to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the first-round series 4-2.
“It’s devastating,” said Tkachuk softly. “I really believed. It’s a tough pill to swallow right now.”
Tkachuk waited a long time to experience playoff hockey. The 25-year-old played 512 regular-season games before finally getting to experience the post-season and admitted he learned a ton about himself and his team.
“Well, I mean just the character we have in this room, first and foremost,” he said. “I knew it all along, but to battle back, and even battle back in this game.
"And, I mean, I don’t know, it’s tough to swallow but at the end of the day to see this city, see this fan base and I really wanted to do it for them. And, I mean, they came out and did their job. It’s gonna be a long couple months here but myself and the rest of the group here we’re gonna come with a lot of fire next year.”
The Senators, who were making their first playoff appearance since 2017 and trailed the best-of-seven series 3-0, rallied to force Game 6. Toronto took a 2-0 lead on Thursday and once again, Ottawa pushed back and tied it, but Toronto prevailed in the end.
“We left it all out there,” said defenceman Thomas Chabot, who, like Tkachuk, experienced playoff hockey for the first time. “We left it all out there the last three games and the entire series. We lost two games in overtime and they could have gone either way.
"Everybody gave it their all and put it all out there. It sucks right now but I don’t think anyone is going home with regrets about how they played.”
While silver linings are hard to see at this time, the Senators take solace in the fact that they’ll come back stronger next season.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it takes will, it takes guts,” said Tkachuk. “Didn't get the job done but I think we’re gonna take these lessons and be that much better because of it. I know it’s tough to realize right now, but everything happens for a reason and I’ll be better because of it.”
This marked the end of Travis Green’s first season behind the Senators bench. Like his captain, Green was visibly upset at the outcome, but also incredibly proud of his team.
“Well, they’re gonna take away a lot,” Green said. “What playoff hockey’s like, how hard it is, how razor thin the margin is. Every shift, every battle matters, attention to detail but I’m proud of our group. They played hard.”
Veteran winger David Perron acknowledged that it will only get tougher from this point forward.
“The crazy thing is it’s not going to get easier next year, it’s going to get harder to get back in the same position,” said Perron. “I think if we asked the team over there, that’s what they would tell you.
"So it’s you make one step and then the next step is a little bit harder to win one round and win two rounds and all that. I’m proud of these guys and the way we worked all year to get better and put ourselves in this situation.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
