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Panthers Frustrated in Brady Tkachuk's Return to Ottawa

The scoring stopped at the border for Florida
David Eversole|
Oct 21, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wing Brady Tkachuk (8) has an exchange with Ottawa Senators center Dylan Cozens (24) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn
Oct 21, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wing Brady Tkachuk (8) has an exchange with Ottawa Senators center Dylan Cozens (24) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the first 10 games to start the 2026-27 season, the Florida Panthers have been through extreme emotional highs and challenging situations alike. At 5-3-2, the record indicates a team treading water despite their recent 3-game win streak. Another injury struck the team as Jacob Markstrom was placed on injured reserve and will miss several games.

Just last week Brady Tkachuk was the toast of the NHL, setting records and running rough shot through opponents. The Panthers offense was awakened led by a resurgent power play, scoring 18 goals in the three wins leading into their must anticipated visit to the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa Wednesday.

The Panthers could not sustain much offensive zone pressure to open the game, going without a shot for the first ten minutes. Florida would finally break through as Brady Tkachuk stayed on script for a triumphant return to where he spent the first eight years of his career.

Once again Matthew Tkachuk had the primary assist on his brother's goal and now has a point in nine straight games. Seth Jones earned the second assist for his 10th helper in five games.

A hostile crowd of 17,010 in Ottawa let their feelings be known during a video tribute to Brady, which he seemed to enjoy immensely.

The game was a throwback affair with the teams combining for 84 penalty minutes, including 12 roughing calls and four fighting majors combined.

Scrums accompanied by plenty of back-and-forth dominated the game as the Senators suffocated the Panthers offense, with Florida putting just 19 shots on net. Ottawa led 3-1 in the third period when starting goaltender Linus Ullmark left the game with what appeared to be a lower body injury.

The Panthers could not take advantage against Ottawa's backup goaltender Samuel Ersson, who had struggled allowing 11 goals against in his previous two starts. Ersson did not have a care in the world as the Panthers fired just a single shot in his direction over the last 16:25 in regulation.

Florida will have little time to recover as they travel to Pittsburgh Thursday for their second back-to-back away from home in two weeks. The Penguins are dealing with a lot off the ice as their 19 year-old forward Ben Kindel suffered a vasovagal syncopal episode on the team flight back from Salt Lake City Tuesday.

Thanfully Kindel was cleared to travel home to Pittsburgh Wednesday and could return to practice next week.

The Penguins are struggling in net this season, ranking 27th in GAA (3.70) and 26th in save percentage .874. Meanwhile, the Panthers are expected to have Cooper Black make his first career start for the Panthers in goal. At six-foot-eight, the 25 year-old will become the tallest goaltender to start a game in NHL history.

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David Eversole
DAVID EVERSOLE

David Eversole has covered local sports in South Florida for over a decade, starting with his independent site the Miami Sports Wave (MSW). He joined Five Reasons Sports in the early days with a YouTube show based on MSW called the Miami Sports Break, and has contributed as a producer, host, and guest on multiple Five Reasons outlets. David has produced hundreds of shows for the network - including PrizePicks daily fantasy content and shows covering the Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers, and Miami Hurricanes. In 2026, David returned to his writing roots to cover the Florida Panthers for Sports Illustrated online. David is a lifelong Floridian and currently lives with his family in Delray Beach.

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