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Brady Tkachuk is an incredibly talented hockey player who also has a reputation for making some boneheaded decisions. The Senators captain firmed it up thanks to what transpired during a game against the Sabres, as he managed to get sent to the penalty box for a slashing call he drew despite not being on the ice at the time.
We’ve entered the home stretch of the NHL season, and the Senators are one of the nearly half a dozen NHL teams that are currently in a fierce battle to claim the two wild card spots that are up for grabs in the incredibly competitive Eastern Conference.
Ottawa was riding a three-game skid heading into Thursday’s showdown with the Sabres, and they needed all the points they could get on a night where all the teams vying for the eighth and final playoff spot (specifically the Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Flyers, and Capitals) had the chance to make up some ground with games of their own.
Now, you might assume the captain of a team in that position would not only stress the importance of not making stupid mistakes fueled by a lack of discipline but go out of his way to set an example for his teammates to follow. However, that was not the case with Brady Tkachuk.
Brady Tkachuk earned a fine from the NHL after he was called for slashing while sitting on the bench
There are plenty of ways to earn a trip to the penalty box as an NHL player, and you don’t need to be a hockey expert to know the vast majority of those infractions stem from something that transpires on the ice. However, Tkachuk treated us to one of those rare exceptions during Thursday night’s game against the Sabres.
Ottawa’s Jordan Spence was pursuing Beck Malenstyn near the boards midway through the first period before finishing a check that pushed the Buffalo forward into the Senators bench. He ended up right in front of Tkachuk, who decided it would be a good idea to hit him in the face with the butt of his stick right in full view of an official who promptly whistled the play dead to hit him with a two-minute minor for slashing.
Brady Tkachuk just got a 2-minute slashing minor while SITTING ON THE BENCH 😳
He caught Beck Malenstyn in the face with the buttend of his stick 🫣 pic.twitter.com/Spgk29YZgI
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 2, 2026
The Sabres weren’t able to capitalize on the man advantage, and Tkachuk earned himself another trip to the box later on in the period after dropping the gloves with Logan Stanley.
He was also hit with some supplemental discipline courtesy of the NHL, which dinged him with a $2,500 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct over the slash.
However, Ottawa was still able to skate away with the 4-1 win in a contest where Tkachuk notched an assist while earning the two points that currently put them in possession of the second wild card spot (although they are tied with Detroit and Columbus at 88 points).
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