Tkachuk’s 30th Stands as the Game Winner in 4-2 Sens Win Over Flyers

What a way to end the season!

And just like that, we’ve wrapped up another year of unparalleled success.

It wasn’t the season any of us wanted this season to go, but it was entertaining, at least. For their final game, the Sens brought the same energy they’ve had since October: bad, but  funny.

We all knew Brady Tkachuk was going to find the most dramatic possible way to score his 30th, right?

First Period

Right from the start, you could tell these teams didn’t have much to play for. The Sens were sleepy, and the Flyers took control of the game but didn’t really get any dangerous chances. As usual, Tim Stützle was easily the best player on either team - at times, he was practically playing with the Flyers, skating circles around them just for the hell of it. Poor Lodin had no chance of ever touching the puck in his first NHL game.

Stützle also drew the first penalty of the game. That powerplay produced a unbelievable scoring chance for the Sens. I truly have no idea how the puck stayed out of the net. I guess Martin Jones just lives to improve the Sens’ draft picks.

There was also a bit of a scrum around the net, with Stützle and Norris getting into it with Flyers Twitter darling Joel Farabee.

Very little happened for the next few minutes. Lodin finally got the puck and turned it over, and then Timmy held on to the puck for like 45 seconds. It was so cool.

Right at the end of the period, Mark Kastelic went to the box on a very, very questionable penalty. Brady Tkachuk had a long conversation with the refs. It was clear the team was not at all happy with the call, with good reason.

The Flyers must have seen how upset Tkachuk was and decided to rub it in a bit more, because James Van Reimsdyk absolutely dunked on him on the powerplay. You know that between-the-legs move Brady has been trying to pull off literally all season? JVR scored using that exact move, which is frankly just mean. It’s embarrassing enough that Brady’s brother keeps using it. Now people are doing it right in front of him? Rude. 1-0 Philadelphia.

People should stop using that move until Brady Tkachuk figures out how to do it. This is so embarrassing for him.

Second Period

The second period began with what may very well go down as Zaitsev’s final bad decision in a Senators uniform. Forced to defend a rush, he opted to basically throw the opposing player right into his goaltender. That’s history, right there.

There was some concern that the Flyers might end up with an automatic goal on the play, because the puck did go in with the player, but the refs decided there was no goal.

Both teams went up and down the ice for a bit, until Ottawa got a powerplay that was absolutely disastrous. The best chance was a shorthanded 2-on-1 for the Flyers. The next Sens powerplay wasn’t any more successful than that one, but they did look better.

Ottawa finally got on the board late in the period. Brady Tkachuk pulled off a beautiful steal that he must have learned from his landlord, and found Norris who put the puck behind Martin Jones before anyone even knew what was happening. That duo is just magical. 1-1.

That goal also made Norris the youngest Senator to hit the 35 goal mark for the first time. No big deal.

Third Period

It should be noted that this game did have some draft lottery implications. If Ottawa won and Buffalo and Detroit both lost, the Sens could jump both in the standings. With all three games happening at the same time and all pretty close in score, we weren’t sure if a win would be the best idea for this team.

For that reason, many of us weren’t sure if we should celebrate Hamonic’s first goal as a Senator, which put the team up 2-1.

That was the moment that the pace of the game really picked up. Holden saved a sure goal at one end of the ice and Lodin had a great scoring chance at the other.

About halfway through, Erik Brännström took his final penalty of the season. Then Austin Watson took an incredibly dumb penalty a few minutes later. Maybe they knew their draft position was getting a little bit unstable.

Holden took one of the faceoffs on the penalty kill, because why not, and the Flyers immediately scored. 2-2.

Soon after that goal, the Buffalo and Detroit games wrapped up and the Sens were officially locked into 26th overall. They could win without repercussions, and someone must have told them so because they suddenly turned on the jets.

On their final powerplay of the season, the first unit switched things up, putting Brady Tkachuk in Josh Norris’s spot in a blatant attempt to set him up for his 30th goal of the season. Naturally, it worked. The most dramatic player in the league fired one home in a flawless imitation of his best friend, hitting the 30 goal mark for the first time in his young career. What a way to end the season. 3-2 Ottawa.

Several Sens players tried for the empty net at the end of the game, but only Austin Watson managed to score. 4-2 Ottawa.

Notable Performances

  • I probably don’t need to tell you this, but Tim Stützle was extremely good even if he didn’t get on the board.
  • Brady Tkachuk obviously had a great game to close out the season, with a goal, an assist, and several scrums. Love that guy./

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