Captain Brady Tkachuk drops 2-word reaction to Ottawa Senators clinching playoff spot for the first time since 2017

The Ottawa Senators officially punched their ticket for the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs, their first postseason berth since 2016-17.

Despite Tuesday's 5-2 Columbus Blue Jackets defeat, the Senators qualified thanks to the Detroit Red Wings's 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk reacted to the playoff spot-clinching moment on his Instagram story, writing:

"Let's go!!!!!!!"

Brady Tkachuk reacts to the Ottawa Senators qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs. (Credits: IG/@bradytkachuk)

Sens coach Travis Green echoed Tkachuk's sentiments, saying:

“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."

With just four games remaining, Ottawa are still fighting to secure a final seeding from the Atlantic Division. They will host the Montreal Canadiens on Friday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Following that, the Sens finish the regular season with matchups against the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes.

If Ottawa keeps up its current momentum, there’s a real chance they could climb into the second or third in the Division. This, in turn, will shape their path in the postseason.

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Game recap: Ottawa Senators 5-2 loss to Colombus Blue Jackets

Dmitri Voronkov scored for the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7:00 in the first period, finishing a one-timer from the high slot off a slick feed from Mathieu Olivier. Justin Danforth doubled the lead at 16:38 by toe-dragging past a defender and shooting glove side from a loose puck slot.

Fabian Zetterlund cut the lead for the Ottawa Senators with a power play goal at 16:18 of the second period, tucking in a rebound. Olivier's goal - redirecting Danforth's deflection off his skate - took the score to 3-1 at 19:38.

Sean Monahan shot from the bottom of the right circle to clinch a power-play goal at 2:37 of the third for the Blue Jackets. Fantilli made it 5-1 on a breakaway at 11:42. Lastly, Thomas Chabot cut the lead on a rebound at 15:10 for the 5-2 final.