Brady Tkachuk's sister Taryn pens an uplifting 3-word message after Senators' playoff elimination

The Ottawa Senators were eliminated from the playoffs after a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 on Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre. The Leafs won the series 4-2 and for the fifth time in franchise history, Ottawa has been eliminated by Toronto.

Following the game, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk’s sister Taryn penned an uplifting message on her Instagram stories for her brother.

“Proud of you,” she wrote, followed by a ‘heart on fire’ emoji, and tagged him.

via Instagram /@taryntkachuk

Leafs captain Auston Matthews gave Toronto a 1-0 lead late in the first period on the night during a power play after a penalty to Brady Tkachuk. His shot beat Linus Ullmark low on the stick side. William Nylander then made it 2-0 early in the second period scoring from the slot on a 2-on-1.

Brady Tkachuk, however, got Ottawa on the board at 7:28 of the second, tipping in a point shot from Thomas Chabot to make it 2-1. Senators’ David Perron tied the game 2-2 with 7:20 left in the third, banking the puck in off Anthony Stolarz from below the goal line.

Unfortunately for Ottawa, Max Pacioretty scored the deciding goal with 5:41 remaining, putting the Leafs back ahead 3-2. Nylander added an empty-netter to finish it.

The Senators could have become just the fifth team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit. Goaltender Linus Ullmark made several key stops but Ottawa managed only 11 shots through two periods.

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Brady Tkachuk reflects on Ottawa crowd chanting his name despite the loss

The Ottawa crowd chanted Brady Tkachuk’s name at the end of the game and cheered for the team, despite the defeat. The arena gave the home team a standing ovation for their season display and Tkachuk mentioned how grateful he was to the fans during the post-game interview.

“I mean, just to feel the support… It’s been a long eight years for them. And to experience it… Honestly, I think they don’t really realize the impact that it’s made on me and this team,” he said.

“And just really wanted to do it for them. They were absolutely amazing. I know it sucks right now, but I really can’t wait for what the future holds.”

Tkachuk mentioned how heartbreaking the defeat was for the squad. He claimed that they truly believed the team could win and that made the loss even harder to accept.

He also said how proud he was of the entire group, not just the players but also the staff and everyone in the organization. Even though they didn’t complete the comeback, Tkachuk mentioned that the experience showed the team’s character and he believes the lessons learned from this playoff run will make them stronger in the future.