OTTAWA - Eight games don’t define a season, but they can tell you when a team has found something real. Right now, the Senators have that look.
Ottawa moved to 6-2-0 Thursday night with a 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Islanders, and the biggest reason the wins keep piling up has been Linus Ullmark. The goalie is 6-0 this season with a .949 save percentage, and the same calm presence has followed him into a 10-game winning streak that stretches back to last year.
When that run was mentioned to Ullmark, he reacted like the math of two seasons being stitched together wasn’t something he wanted to spend much time on. He did say he feels good, even if he knows there are still parts of his game to sharpen.
“It’s always a battle every night,” admitted Ullmark. “Always a grind. Good players, good teams can’t really relax at any point during the game and that’s why I say it’s up and down.”
That’s a sharp contrast from how he opened last season, when he was 2-3-1 through six games and had already allowed 23 goals. This year, he’s given up seven.
“And I’ve said a million times the last two weeks, but I’m thankful we have him and hopefully keep it going.”
The Senators understand the calendar is still young, but they also know getting points early matters. That’s especially true while they’re missing top-pair defenceman Jake Sanderson and without winger William Eklund for at least another 10-12 weeks. In a season where offence has been hard to come by, Ullmark has given the group a layer of certainty in tight games, especially when the clock starts becoming the loudest thing in the building.
“I think clean shots aren’t going to beat him,” said Pinto. “Just so solid.
His rebound control, everything. Like he’s going to make the save most of the time.”
Ullmark, for his part, pointed to a collection of pieces rather than one breakthrough moment behind the run. He credited “my favourite Italian man in the trainer’s office that takes care of me every day,” the work around him from teammates blocking shots, and the dialogue he’s had with Sammy Ersson, goaltending coach Justin Peters and coordinator of goaltending scouting and development Maciej Szwoch.
“My relationship with Sammy (Ersson) and conversations and the work that me, (goaltending coach Justin Peters) and (coordinator of goaltending scouting and development Maciej Szwoch) are putting down this fall have come bearing fruit,” he said.
Even with the hot start, Ullmark wasn’t interested in getting ahead of himself.
But he cautioned not to get too far ahead, saying “you never know what’s going to happen down the line.”
There were other encouraging signs for Ottawa on Thursday as well. Head coach Travis Green kept adjusting his lines, but liked what he got from all four units against an Islanders team that wasn’t giving up much. He said he felt comfortable sending out any line and matching whoever was on the ice.
The Senators also got Artem Zub back on the blue line, a welcome boost after he’d been out since suffering a knee injury in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs last spring.
“Sometimes when a player’s gone you kind of forget how good they are,” said Green. “And for his first game in (after), I don’t know, five, six months I thought he was very impressive.”
Ottawa’s next test comes Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers, before a home game next Wednesday against the Florida Panthers that will bring Brady Tkachuk back to Ottawa. The return of the former captain should carry plenty of emotion, and if the Senators want to keep this roll going, they’ll likely need Ullmark right where he’s been all season: in control, in rhythm and bailing them out when the game tightens.
In Other News...
Senators Suddenly Have A Scoring Void A Former Canadien Could Fill
The Senators attack took a hit when William Eklund went in for surgery on a torn tendon, and the timing could hardly be worse for a team looking to keep its offense moving. Eklund is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks, leaving Ottawa with a noticeable scoring gap at a spot where finishers matter and where the power play can tilt games one way or the other.
That is why Patrik Laine has entered the conversation, with his camp and the Senators having discussed a possible fit. Laine would make sense as a shooter who could plug into the man advantage and give Ottawa another dangerous option, but there is still no agreement in place, and for now the idea remains just that - an idea the Senators may keep weighing as they look for help up front. [Read more 🡒]
Senators May Be Running Out Of Time To Fix Backup Goalie Trouble
The Senators backup goaltending situation has become one of those roster puzzles that can linger quietly until it starts to affect everything around it. Samuel Ersson has struggled in limited work this season, and Ottawa has another option in Jonas Johansson, a goalie with NHL experience behind Andrei Vasilevskiy but a track record that has been more serviceable than standout. With the schedule demanding steady support behind the starter, the question is no longer whether the Senators have options, but which one gives them the safest path forward.
What makes the decision trickier is the roster math attached to it. Ottawa has to weigh whether to bring Johansson up and change the mix in goal, knowing the club would need a plan if it wants to move Ersson to Belleville, where waivers come into play. For a team trying to avoid a crease problem turning into a larger depth issue, the next move could say a lot about how aggressively it wants to solve the backup spot before it becomes harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Senators May Have Found An Answer In This Injury Shuffle
William Eklunds injury left Ottawa with a hole to fill, and Travis Green responded by shuffling the forward groups in a way that gave the Senators a different look against the Islanders. Stephen Halliday was bumped to the left side of the top line, while Ridly Greig slid into the middle on the fourth line, a tweak that helped settle the group in a tight game that the Senators eventually won 2-1 in a shootout.
The changes were more than just temporary patchwork, because Ottawa needed some kind of answer after losing a key winger and Greens lineup choices immediately put familiar names in unfamiliar spots. Hallidays promotion and Greigs move down the lineup gave the Senators a new center of gravity on a night when structure mattered, and it will be worth watching whether this alignment sticks as the team tries to navigate the weeks ahead without Eklund. [Read more 🡒]