Matthew Tkachuk and Friends Defeat Ottawa Senators 6-1 on Mother’s Day
The older Tkachuk brother just couldn’t resist ruining the day for everyone
If there’s one thing this season has taught us, it’s that you don’t need to be playing for anything in particular in order to have fun. Yes, the Sens had been eliminated from playoff contention long before this game started, and no, they weren’t really in the running for the 1st overall pick, but this game could have been a lot of fun. They may have been on the road and on the second half of a back-to-back - two signs of impending doom - but it was also Mother’s Day, and we all know which outcome would have made Brady and Matthew’s mother the happiest.
Matthew Tkachuk’s face after being told on national television that Brady is his mom’s favorite on actual Mother’s Day pic.twitter.com/yL8LyBLqfa
— probably buried in trash (@puckopossum) May 10, 2021
Brady also had a chance to eliminate his older brother from playoff contention tonight, which sounds like a dream come true for any sibling. Who among us hasn’t wished we could embarrass our brother on such a big stage? And on Mother’s Day, too?
Could the Sens pull off one last sicko? For the culture?
Well, no.
The first period was not what you would call “good.” I would, in fact, characterize it as quite “bad.” The first few minutes were alright, but the Sens didn’t look particularly eager to give Chantal Tkachuk the Mother’s Day present of her dreams (watching her favourite son eliminate her second favourite son from playoff contention). Rookie Jacob Bernard-Docker made a few nice plays, but nothing came of them.
The most exciting chances were had by Matthew Tkachuk and his friends. Gaudreau even hit the post, which honestly should have been a sign from the hockey gods that this wasn’t meant to be.
Despite the wishes of the hockey gods, though, the Flames were not going down without a fight. They completely took over the game, outshooting the Sens by a pretty wide margin in the first half of the period. Naturally, as soon as the Sens managed to regain some control of the play, Zaitsev missed a pass, Johnny Gaudreau ended up on a breakaway, and Victor Mete made a great effort to catch Gaudreau but wasn’t quite fast enough. 1-0 Calgary.
Sick goal by Johnny Gaudreau, after Victor Mete makes a great effort to get back. #Flames 1-0 #Sens pic.twitter.com/AgzeP8r47A
— Brandon Maki (@BrandonMaki_) May 10, 2021
(I’m not blaming any Sens defensemen for that goal, by the way. Sometimes you just have to admit that the other guy is pretty good.)
The Flames came very close to scoring several times throughout the frame, outshooting the Sens by a very wide margin, but Ottawa stood tall and managed to keep the puck out of their net.
So the first period kind of sucked, but the good news is that they were only down by one and there were still 40 minutes left to play. Surely the Sens would turn things around in the second. Right?
Wrong.
It only took 17 seconds for Calgary to pull ahead 2-0.
Several defensive collapses later, Gaudreau found the third best Tkachuk child in front of the net, and Matthew Tkachuk, in typical Matthew Tkachuk fashion, ruined Mother’s Day by burying the pass. 3-0 Calgary.
Did the Sens let him score because they knew it had been a while and they wanted to make Mama Tkachuk happy? Or did Matthew score out of spite because he knew his parents wanted Brady to win the game? I guess we’ll never know.
He made a strong case for the second interpretation only a few minutes later, though, when he got into a fight with Zub of all people. If you fight Zub, I am immediately suspicious of you. Who could possibly have a problem with him? Matthew must have been jealous of Zub’s hockey skills, popularity and general awesomeness.
The two teams played 4-on-4 for a bit, but no goals were scored. Though the Sens had started to show some signs of life, the Flames were still dominating the game. Goal #4 game soon after the penalties expired - a big shot from Micheal Stone that Forsberg probably should have had. 4-0 Calgary.
It’s disappointing to see that Micheal Stone has chosen to side with his teammate over his adoptive nephews in this quest to ruin Mother’s Day for Chantal Tkachuk, but, well, I guess he can relate to Matthew’s experience of having a younger brother that’s better than him at hockey.
Unsurprisingly, a goalie change followed the Stone goal. I wouldn’t pin the blame for this game entirely on Forsberg, but the change in Ottawa’s play was instantaneous. Norris put the Sens on the board very soon after Gustavsson replaced Forsberg in net, extending their streak of not getting shut out. 4-1 Calgary.
Batherson with the lovelyyyyy feed to Norris! #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/fAyYbYIfxh
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) May 10, 2021
The Sens played pretty well for the rest of the period, although a comeback didn’t look particularly likely. When Lucic went off for the game’s first penalty right at the end, it looked like a perfect opportunity for Ottawa to claw back into the game. But alas, the period ended before they could score.
There was still some hope left in the third, however. After all, what’s a little 4-1 deficit to an Ontario hockey team? 5-1 would have been difficult to overcome - almost impossible. Only a truly awful team could blow that kind of lead. But 4-1 was completely within reach.
While the Sens looked alright to start the final frame, Calgary ended up scoring the next goal. Zaitsev looked pretty rough on the play. 5-1 Calgary.
Anyways, have the Sens ever come back from down 5-1 before? I can’t remember.
The Sens got another powerplay opportunity just over halfway through the period, but it yielded no results. Brady Tkachuk then lost his temper and ended up in the penalty box. Unfortunately, the Flames scored on the ensuing powerplay. 6-1 Calgary.
The good news is that we still have a shot at one last sicko before the season ends. On Wednesday, the Sens take on the Leafs, and they’d better show up for that one.
Notable Performances
- JBD was really noticeable all night, in a good way. The kid is good at moving the puck.
- I hate to single out one guy when the whole team was pretty flat, but this was not Zaitsev’s best game./