When Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk was considering his injury timeline, the team’s seven-game road trip in November loomed large. Already antsy from watching practices from the bench and games from the press box, Tkachuk looked forward to playing with the Senators at the start of the trip in Anaheim.
That was the case until he realized he had gotten his math wrong.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” Tkachuk said on Thursday morning, on the eve of his return to the lineup after 20 games away. “I got all my weeks messed up. So, I thought I was coming back at the start of the road trip. And then once we got halfway through the recovery, I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s the St. Louis (game) that’s in six weeks.’
So instead of starting the road trip in California, Tkachuk returned to familiar confines: the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, where his father, Keith, once roamed as a member of the Blues. There was even a brief crossover between Keith and two of Brady’s current teammates, David Perron and Lars Eller.
Tkachuk registered a team-leading eight shots and three hits in 17:12 of ice time in a 4-3 loss against the Blues on Friday. Despite being away for 20 games (46 days), Tkachuk showed little rust and clearly wasn’t impacted by the Thanksgiving dinner at his parents’ place that included teammates and trainers the day before.
“Honestly, it was just nice to get back,” Tkachuk said postgame. “I was just trying to play and not overthink anything.”
“He was great,” Fabian Zetterlund said. “First game back, it’s obviously tough. But I think he did a great job. He moved his feet, he used his body, protected the puck.”
Strong shift from Tkachuk, who creates two quality chances. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/wQTwFw95bD
— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) November 28, 2025
Senators head coach Travis Green had a choice to make with Tkachuk’s return. He could’ve put him back in his familiar top-line spot with Tim Stützle. Green loves duos, and he’s kept Stützle and Drake Batherson together with different left wingers in recent weeks. So, it wouldn’t have been a total shock to see Tkachuk play atop his lineup while bumping down Perron to a familiar second line spot with Dylan Cozens and Zetterlund.
But instead, Tkachuk slotted with Cozens and Zetterlund, and Green chose to keep his top line intact. Tkachuk’s line generated the most chances at five-on-five with a 67.72 percent expected goals rate and 55.56 percent Corsi rate at five-on-five. Partway through the second period, that line had an expected goals rate above 83 percent and a Corsi rating of 75 percent.
Zetterlund, for his trouble, scored a go-ahead goal in the second period, with Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson getting assists.
What a cheeky little move from Fabian Zetterlund 🫢 pic.twitter.com/VFtmjajFug
— NHL (@NHL) November 28, 2025
The Blues, however, took it to the Senators in the third as the game opened up and the Sens “uncharacteristically” let the game get away from them. The Blues overcame a 3-1 deficit and scored three goals, taking advantage of giveaways and odd-man rush plays.
“We turned over a couple of pucks,” Green said. “We didn’t pay attention to certain details that we usually do. It was unfortunate because our goalie gave us a game. Should’ve at least gotten a point or a win out of this game.”
“Would’ve felt a lot better with a win,” Tkachuk said.
However, Tkachuk’s performance and his work on that second line will stand out as silver linings after a night that didn’t go their way. The Senators can, and will, shake up their lines if needed. But the Senators’ thinking of putting Tkachuk on a line with Cozens and Zetterlund was sound while maintaining their top line.
Tkachuk and Zetterlund have played together before; they started the season with Stützle as their top-line centre. But we haven’t seen much of Tkachuk and Cozens together since the latter joined via trade in March. On Friday, at least for most of the contest, that line worked. Tkachuk carried a lot of the line’s production at five-on-five through his play, but Cozens threw a team-leading five hits, and Zetterlund’s goal contributed to their successful night.
“We’re all power forwards and want to get to the net and find those little pockets in the O-zone,” Tkachuk said. “I liked some of the looks, and it was nice to play with some great players and hopefully build off that.”
And beyond, the Senators could always go back to that combination depending on what acquisitions they make ahead of the trade deadline. The Senators have been eyed as a team that should be active ahead of the March deadline, with TSN insider Darren Dreger saying Steve Staios would like to add a forward and a defenceman during the second intermission of the game’s broadcast, though he doesn’t see him as a “big-game hunter.”
But even then, the Senators should be vying for a top-line winger who can play alongside Stützle or Cozens. Though it would come at the expense of veteran David Perron, who scored in Friday’s loss. But if the Senators wanted to maintain their Stützle-Batherson on their top line with a skilled winger on the left of the German centre, Tkachuk could always stick on a line with Cozens and Zetterlund if they continue getting familiar with each other in game action.
The Senators won’t like the fact that the game got away from them in the third, nor should they be after their third regulation loss of the month (all one-goal games). But the Sens have given themselves another forward option — not permanently, but an option — to add to their list of possibilities throughout the season, thanks to the Tkachuk-Cozens-Zetterlund combo.
And more importantly, the Senators are thankful to have their leader back.
“He’s so good around the net,” teammate Shane Pinto said. “Always causing chaos. Just creating so much space for his linemates. It’s definitely nice to have him back and he’s just going to keep getting better and better.”