Quote:
Originally Posted by djsFlames
Tkachuk's reaction to the backlund goal was great also.
He's taken on the role of the vocal leader since coming back.
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It was the penalty where he got blindsided so you know he personally wanted to make them pay. Almost did it himself (hit both posts) but obviously just as happy his teammate could bury it. Give credit to Backlund as well — it was a huge goal to continue the momentum and he absolutely sniped it against the best goalie in the league this year. No small feat.
Back to Tkachuk, you can also tell he’s not happy about having a 1-8 record in the playoffs and taking it upon himself to do everything he possibly can this series. He is so dialled in right now I’m a bit concerned about whether he can keep it up. However, I think he’s just wired this way and I’m sure he’s had a few thousand conversations with his dad about being mentally focused for the playoffs. And with all the scrutiny with the Kassian incident and the BOA generally this year, combined with last year’s playoff loss, I think they’re as battle-tested as they could be right now.