Linus Ullmark looks ready to rejoin the Senators, and that alone would ease a lot of the tension around Ottawa’s crease. Add in the way Samuel Ersson has steadied himself over the last week, and a position that had been a concern is suddenly looking far less shaky.
Ottawa could get its No. 1 goalie back as soon as Tuesday night, when the Washington Capitals come to Canadian Tire Centre. That game would also be Alex Ovechkin’s second-last regular season appearance in Ottawa, provided the Capitals star goes through with his plan to retire at the end of the season.
Ullmark has been out since Oct. 21, when he suffered a lower-body injury in the Senators’ 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers. The injury happened while he was stopping a long shot from former teammate Brady Tkachuk, and he has not played since.
Since arriving in Ottawa in 2024, Ullmark has had his share of inconsistency, both in his play and in staying healthy enough to dress regularly. Even so, the Senators have reason to be encouraged by the possibility of getting him back now.
The bigger surprise may be Ersson’s turnaround. Ottawa still needs dependable goaltending behind Ullmark, especially because there’s no reason to expect Ullmark to carry a massive workload this season. He has never played 50 games in an NHL season.
Ersson has given the Senators exactly what they needed after a rough opening stretch. He has won three straight starts and allowed only four goals during that run.
The bounce-back started with a 5-1 win over San Jose last week, continued with a 2-1 victory in Buffalo on Wednesday, and carried into Saturday night, when he stopped 30 of 32 shots in a 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth.
Over those three games, Ersson has posted a .950 save percentage, a sharp improvement for a goalie who struggled badly early in the season.
What felt like a weakness just a week ago now looks like a strength, at least for the moment. And if Ullmark really is on the verge of returning, the Senators’ goaltending picture has changed fast.
Still, Sens fans probably won’t mind keeping a little wood nearby.
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Senators Goalie Picture Just Changed At A Crucial Time
The Senators crease is getting a familiar face back at a time when every point feels important. Linus Ullmark has been activated off injured reserve after missing eight games with a lower-body injury, giving Ottawa a chance to reset a goalie situation that has been in flux since he went down.
To make room, Jonas Johansson was assigned to the AHL, leaving Samuel Ersson as the backup who had been handling the steadier share of the workload in Ullmarks absence. Ottawa now has to sort out how quickly it wants to lean back on its No. 1 option, and how the rest of the rotation settles in from here. [Read more 🡒]