The Senators confirm the worst for goaltender Linus Ullmark

Wednesday night at Canadian Tire Centre was supposed to be all about Brady Tkachuk's dramatic return to Ottawa. And for the most part, it was. The Senators rolled to a convincing 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers in a game dripping with emotion, as the fan base let their former captain hear it from the moment he stepped on the ice. But amid all the drama and the celebration that followed, something far more concerning happened in the third period that has Ottawa fans holding their breath.

On Thursday morning, the Senators made it official: Linus Ullmark has been placed on injured reserve.

A Hot Start Derailed

The 33-year-old netminder went down after stopping a hard shot from Tkachuk himself during the third period. As the puck was cleared to the Florida end by an Ottawa defenseman, Ullmark hunched over in visible pain, and officials quickly blew the whistle. He needed assistance from the training staff to leave the ice, and backup Samuel Ersson stepped in to finish things off, facing just a single shot the rest of the way.

Head coach Travis Green told reporters after the game that Ullmark sustained a lower-body strain and would undergo further evaluation the following day. That evaluation clearly did not bring good news. Being placed on injured reserve means Ullmark will be sidelined for a minimum of one week, though the exact timeline beyond that remains unclear.

What makes this especially painful is just how well Ullmark has been playing. After a largely frustrating 2025-26 campaign, the veteran goalie flipped a switch this season and has been one of the best in the league. He carried a 7-1-0 record into Thursday, with a sparkling 1.33 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage, numbers that had him firmly in early Vezina Trophy discussions. This is also the second time this month that Ullmark has been unable to finish a game, as he left a start against the Boston Bruins back on October 5th after what Green described as a minor tweak.

What Comes Next in Ottawa's Crease

With Ullmark on the shelf, the Senators are going to need Samuel Ersson to step up in a big way. Ottawa acquired Ersson this offseason following a rough year in Philadelphia, but his early returns in a Senators uniform have not been encouraging. Through his first couple of appearances, Ersson has posted an 0-2 record with an ugly .831 save percentage and a 4.70 goals-against average. Those numbers are going to need to improve dramatically if Ottawa wants to stay competitive while their number one guy recovers.

To fill the backup role behind Ersson, the Senators recalled Jonas Johansson from their AHL affiliate in Belleville. The 31-year-old brings 105 games of NHL experience to the table, including 25 appearances with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season where he picked up 11 wins. In five AHL games this year, Johansson has gone 3-1-1 with a 2.92 GAA and .912 save percentage, so he is at least coming up with some decent form.

The timing could not be worse for a Senators team that was riding high on the strength of Ullmark's elite play. Ottawa has looked like a legitimate contender early on, and a lot of that had to do with the guy between the pipes. Now they will have to find a way to tread water until he gets back, and with Ersson's shaky start, that is far from a guarantee. The Senators were set to host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, marking the first test of the post-Ullmark stretch. How long that stretch lasts is anyone's guess.