Brady Tkachuk lost it in Game 3 and the Sens faithful turned on them
The frustration is bleeding through. Brady Tkachuk slammed the Senators bench door Thursday night after another shift went nowhere against Carolina.
Ottawa's captain is pointless through three games. Zero goals, zero assists, a minus-2 rating, and a temper that's starting to show in the visuals.
He's not playing badly. That's the strange part of this story. Tkachuk is forechecking, finishing his checks, getting involved in scrums. The offense just hasn't followed any of it.
That's the cruelty of playoff hockey. You can do the work and still walk to the bench with nothing on the scoresheet, and nobody wants to hear about effort when the series is slipping away.
The 26-year-old finished the regular season with 22 goals and 59 points in 60 games. He carried 5 assists through his last 5 regular-season games. The finish was there.
Travis Green needs his captain producing before the series slips further
Travis Green has watched Carolina strangle his top guys all series. Rod Brind'Amour's structure does that to stars. It forces them to earn every inch of ice and makes anything less than desperate look slow.
Tkachuk's door slam is the body language of a captain who knows the math. No captain wants to be the guy with a goose egg in the games that matter most.
Is this the moment to panic? Not yet. The captain is getting chances. He's just not converting them, and the Hurricanes have a way of turning one missed opportunity into a goal against in 15 seconds.
Tim Stützle took a friendly-fire puck to the body earlier in the game, and Jordan Spence's role in that mess is still hanging over the bench. Add a frustrated captain to the picture and the tone gets loud fast.
Ottawa's $8.2 million forward has been the face of this franchise through thin and thinner. This is the first real postseason gauntlet of his career with any actual teeth to it.
Games like this are where reputations are made. The captain who breaks through in Game 3 or Game 4 gets a highlight reel. The captain who doesn't gets the internet for a summer.
Tkachuk slammed a door. Green needs him to start slamming pucks instead.
Also read on Blade of steel :
NHL stands by decision on Nikita Kucherov after disputed play involving Kaiden Guhle
NHL stands by decision on Nikita Kucherov after disputed play involving Kaiden Guhle