Brady Tkachuk didn't even get to puck drop Wednesday night. Ottawa fans were booing the Panthers forward during warmups.
No slow build. The clip shows Florida's white sweaters circling the ice, warmup pucks scattered everywhere, and a crowd along the glass already letting No. 8 hear it.
Picking that fight this early is a bad idea, and the numbers explain why. Tkachuk owns six goals and 10 points through nine games.
Every one of those points came in his last five games. He was held without a point through the first four, then caught fire.
Florida is paying him $8,208,714 against the cap. Right now, that looks like a bargain.
Booing him during a run like this is like heckling a karaoke singer who can actually sing. It just makes him grab the mic tighter.
The power play is where he's cashing in. Two of his goals came with the man advantage, along with three assists on the unit and one game-winner.
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Panthers face a back-to-back without Barkov or Marchand
And Florida rolls into Ottawa riding a three-game win streak at 5-2-2, capped by an 8-3 blowout of Seattle on Saturday.
That's coming without Aleksander Barkov, who sits on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and isn't expected back until at least Nov. 27.
Brad Marchand is out too. His leg injury keeps him on IR until at least Nov. 21, which pushes more minutes onto everyone still dressing.
Somehow the offense keeps humming. Matthew Tkachuk has 10 assists over his last five, and Sam Reinhart has scored four of his five goals on the power play.
The crease is the soft spot. Jacob Markstrom is on IR with an upper-body injury until at least Nov. 4, and Akira Schmid carries an .878 save percentage.
Who wants to bet on that number holding up in a building this wound up?
Ottawa isn't a soft landing spot, either. The Senators are 6-3-0 and sitting level with Florida in the standings.
Linus Ullmark has been the backbone, stopping pucks at a .945 clip. Tim Stutzle leads the attack with 12 points, including a shorthanded goal.
The Senators are dealing with absences of their own. Thomas Chabot is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and William Eklund's ankle has him on IR until at least Jan. 5.
They also come in off a 3-1 loss in Philadelphia on Saturday, so the home crowd's mood had some extra edge before warmups even started.
This is the first meeting between these clubs this season, and neither gets a breather after it. Florida heads to Pittsburgh tomorrow, while Ottawa hosts San Jose.
Tkachuk has heard the noise now. Whether that crowd looks clever by the third period, or just handed a hot scorer one more reason to shoot, is still very much up for grabs.
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Were Senators fans right to boo Brady Tkachuk in warmups?
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