“It will do it. The Leafs are bound for the second round!” said the announcer. It’s safe to say hearing that line would’ve only upset the Tkachuk family. After all, the Auston Matthews & Co. have made it to the second round after beating Brady Tkachuk‘s team. Yet, that statement also brought a sense of relief to Matthew Tkachuk, even though his younger brother is out of the NHL Playoffs. Wondering why? Well, the elder Tkachuk already answered that question.

It’s only fitting that the winner of the Battle of Florida will take on the victor of the Battle of Ottawa in Round 2. The Ottawa Senators winning Round 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs would’ve created a kind of family crisis for Tkachuks. That’s because the announcer added something else to his closing statement. “… And another showdown with Florida Panthers,” added the announcer. And while the fans may have loved a Tkachuk vs. Tkachuk showdown on the ice, Brady Tkachuk’s brother wouldn’t.

Matthew Tkachuk made that abundantly clear while speaking to Kay Adams on the Up & Adams Show. “Our whole family, um, to see, like, their boys and, you know, brother and whatever, just like, go out there and compete for their dream. But I will say it was way more fun playing with him than it was against him. So I’m not necessarily looking forward to going up against him and playing,” the Florida Panthers captain said about his brother.

“He’s a beast. He will be probably the toughest guy in the league to play against in a playoff series,” added the 27-year-old. Kay Adams was surprised at the NHL forward’s answer. She even brought up a documentary to highlight the fierce competitiveness between them. Yet, the Panthers’ star had a different opinion. The defending champion recalled playing with his brother recently in the 4 Nations Championship.

To say the brothers enjoyed playing and scoring alongside one another for the same team would be an understatement. It also gave Matthew Tkachuk an idea of just how much his brother had improved as the leader of the Ottawa Senators. “A different beast,” he told Adams. And the crowd who witnessed the Ottawa Senators give it their all against the Maple Leafs agreed. “Brady! Brady!” chanted the crowd as they honored the Sens with a standing ovation.

Tkachuk and the Senators took the Leafs to the brink

The 2025 playoffs – Round 1 was the first postseason experience for many Ottawa Senators players. Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, and more were here for the first time. And while the Leafs managed to stun the roster of newcomers to take a commanding 3-0 series lead, the Sens rebounded to show why they made it to the playoffs.

In fact, Matthew Tkachuk’s brother and his team sent Toronto fans into panic mode after winning two games in a row. Fans started getting flashbacks of the Leafs’ collapse against the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, where they eventually lost the series. Auston Matthews and other Leafs stars also didn’t inspire confidence in the matches they lost against the Sens.

What’s more? The Maple Leafs have some abysmal stats when it comes to clinching games. The Athletics’ James Mirtle revealed just how bad Toronto has been at showing up when it mattered most. “They are somehow 1-13 in their last 14 series-clinching games, proving about as non-clutch a team as we’ve seen not just in hockey but pro sports,” wrote the hockey writer.

And that bad dream nearly turned into reality on the ice in game 6. While Auston Matthews and William Nylander put the Maple Leafs in front, Brady Tkachuk led the comeback as the Sens equalized to make it 2-2. Thankfully, the Leafs found a second wind and refused to let the series drag on, taking another two-goal lead to seal Ottawa’s fate. “It’s devastating. I really believed. It’s a tough pill to swallow right now,” Brady Tkachuk said after the loss. And that only acts as fuel for Matthew Tkachuk to avenge his brother’s loss in round two.