The Senators Had Something to Prove vs. Tkachuk & Did They

Sometimes a hockey game becomes about much more than the two points at the end. Wednesday night in Ottawa was one of those nights. Brady Tkachuk returned to the city where he spent eight seasons, including five as captain, wearing a Florida Panthers jersey. The reception was anything but warm. Fans booed him, chanted at him, and even threw his Senators jerseys onto the ice.

But here's what I think Ottawa fans should remember most about this night. Their team didn't need to win the argument with its former captain. It needed to win the hockey game. And the Senators did that emphatically, beating Florida 5-1. Sometimes, the best and simplest response is simply to play better hockey.

Five Goals, Five Different Senators Step Up.

Tkachuk actually opened the scoring for Florida on the power play, assisted by his brother Matthew. That could have made for an uncomfortable evening in Ottawa. Instead, Tim Stützle tied the game, and the Senators gradually took control. Claude Giroux and Shane Pinto scored in the second period before Warren Foegele and Stephen Halliday finished things off in the third. Five different Senators scored. That's worth noticing.

When a team is caught up in an emotionally charged game, it's easy to get distracted by the opponent, the crowd, and everything happening around the rink. Ottawa kept finding ways to score. Foegele's goal, set up by Dylan Cozens, and Halliday's finish off Stützle's drop pass showed that this wasn't just about one or two familiar names carrying the load.

That was satisfying for Ottawa. The team could celebrate its own players rather than spend the evening measuring itself against the one who left.

The Emotion Was Real, but So Was the Hockey.

Things boiled over in the third period. Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Bennett got involved in an exchange near Ottawa's bench, while Bennett fought Ridly Greig earlier in the period. It's easy to see why emotions ran high. A former captain returning with another team can stir up feelings that don't disappear just because a trade or departure is in the rear-view mirror.

Still, there's a difference between using that emotion to compete and allowing it to take over. Ottawa came away with a convincing win, and that's a much better outcome than simply winning a war of words.

One Concern Overshadows the Senators’ Celebration.

One thing could make this victory harder to enjoy: Linus Ullmark left early in the third period with an apparent injury after making a save on Tkachuk. Sam Ersson came in and faced just one shot, so we shouldn't draw conclusions from his brief appearance. But Ottawa needs Ullmark healthy if it hopes to sustain its strong start.

What did we learn? The Senators can handle an emotionally charged night and still get the job done. They are now 7-3-0, and their depth helped them win. Brady Tkachuk's return will be remembered for the boos. Ottawa's players would probably prefer to remember the five goals.

And that's the right way to look at it. The past can fill an arena with noise, but the team still has to build its future on the ice.