Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will likely miss the team’s regular season finale as they get ready for the playoffs.
Tkachuk, 26, appeared to get injured during the Senators’ 3-0 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday when Islanders defenceman Ryan Pulock got his stick up around the Tkachuk’s head/neck area between the benches near the end of the second period.
The 6-foot-4 winger struggled to get to his bench and after the intermission, he had a short shift before exiting the game completely.
Earlier in the game, Tkachuk also dropped the gloves with Islanders captain Anders Lee and recorded a shot with seven hits and five penalty minutes in 10:25 of ice time.
Head coach Travis Green told reporters after the game that Tkachuk “wasn’t feeling well” and elected to sit him out against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. However the expectation is that he will be ready for the playoffs, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.
Tkachuk has 22 goals and 59 points in 60 games this season as he helped lead the Senators to their second straight playoff position.
He also helped the United States win their first gold medal at the Olympics since 1980 at Milano Cortina 2026 in February.
Ottawa has a 43-27-11 record and occupies the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Boston Bruins in the first spot.
The Senators wrap up the regular season against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday before beginning their playoff run on either Saturday or Sunday.
