Brady Tkachuk responds to Ottawa Senators' first playoff spot since 2017 in defeat to Columbus Blue Jackets

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk only had two words upon hearing his team had finally booked a Stanley Cup playoffs berth: “Let's go!!!!!!!”

The 24-year-old forward posted the celebratory message on his Instagram story Tuesday night, reflecting the sentiment of a seven-year journey to the milestone. For the first time since 2017, the Ottawa Senators will be heading into the playoffs—not as a long shot, but as a team that earned its way in through grit, faith, and dedication to change.

Ottawa Senators secure first postseason entry in years; Brady Tkachuk couldn’t be happier


Even following a 5-2 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena , things were not so bleak in the Ottawa Senators' dressing room. With the Montreal Canadiens' 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings , the Ottawa Senators mathematically qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Team captain Brady Tkachuk expressed his excitement on social media for his fans to witness. With the team’s fiery performance and Travis Green ’s steady leadership, the message is clear: this isn’t the end—it’s just the start.

Although the scoreboard did not display Ottawa's edge, the milestone was greater than the outcome. Defenceman Thomas Chabot , who played all 509 of his games with the Senators, was euphoric after a loss. “You're not going to see me smile a whole lot after a loss, but man, it feels great. It definitely does,” Chabot said. “It's the whole group, everybody from top to bottom. I think everybody just took a huge step this year. Everybody did whatever they could every single night to get into the playoffs. Now that it's confirmed, obviously we still got some games to play, but I think the entire group is just freaking fired up. We're just excited to get in. We can't wait to go.”

Head coach Travis Green, who has emphasized culture and buy-in since day one of training camp, was equally emotional. “Wish it was coming off a win, but very excited for our team, our players, our fans, and proud of our players. They deserve to be in the playoffs this year. It's something that we talked about as a group really all summer, having a training camp and where we wanted to be at this time,” he said.

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With four games remaining in the regular season, Ottawa sits in the first wild card position in the Eastern Conference and is four points behind the third-place Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division. Plenty is still at stake, but the Senators are now officially back in the race.