Brady Tkachuk chokes up while making his feelings known after Senators' "devastating" elimination from playoffs 

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk got emotional after the Sens were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team lost 4-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 on Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre. The loss ended the Senators’ season in the first round.

Tkachuk scored a goal in the second period to cut the Leafs’ lead to 2-1. He tipped in a point shot from Thomas Chabot at 7:28, and that goal extended his point streak to five games. He had four goals and three assists during that stretch.

Postgame, Brady Tkachuk spoke to reporters about the loss.

"It's devastating," Tkachuk said. "Really believed. It's a tough pill to swallow right now."

Tkachuk also shared how he felt after Max Pacioretty’s late goal gave Toronto a 3-2 lead.

"To be honest, it was a little deflating," Tkachuk said. "But there's six minutes left to play, or five, whatever it was. I really believed that we were going to come back and win the game. Just tough. Just tough."

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Pacioretty scored with 5:39 remaining in the third period. His shot beat Linus Ullmark on the glove side. Toronto later added an empty-net goal to seal the win.

Brady Tkachuk talks about first playoff appearance

The Ottawa Senators made their first playoff appearance since 2017. Captain Brady Tkachuk played in his first postseason after 512 regular-season games.

He spoke about what the experience meant to him and what he learned.

"I mean just the character we have in this room, first and foremost," Tkachuk said via TimesColonist.com. "I knew it all along, but to battle back, and even battle back in this game. And, I mean, I don’t know, it’s tough to swallow."

The Senators were down 3-0 in the series but forced a Game 6. Toronto took a 2-0 lead on the night, then Ottawa came back to tie it before the Leafs ultimately won 4-2.

"But at the end of the day, to see this city, see this fan base, and I really wanted to do it for them," he added. "And, I mean, they came out and did their job. It’s gonna be a long couple months here, but myself and the rest of the group here. We’re gonna come with a lot of fire next year."

Brady Tkachuk’s first playoff run ended in disappointment, but he sees promise in the team for next season.