The Ottawa Senators will welcome goaltender Linus Ullmark back to the crease on Saturday when they take on the New Jersey Devils at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Ullmark will make his first start since taking a leave of absence on December 28th, citing mental health reasons for his need to step away from the game.
“The real reason is mental health,” Ullmark told Claire Hanna during an interview. “And there’s been a lot going on for a long time. I would say dating back to, ever since the trade, and a lot of things have been positive as well throughout the years or these times. But a lot of the things that I had gone through or worried about haven’t really been dealt with in the right way.”
Across 28 games this season, Ullmark is 14-8-5 with an .881 SV%, a -10.1 5v5 goals saved above expected (GSAx) and one shutout. The former Vezina winning goaltender helped guide the Sens back to the playoffs in 2024-25 after posting a 25-14-3 record with a .910 SV% and a 2.70 GAA. However, a series of poor outings, including a 7-5 loss to Toronto on December 27th where he was pulled after giving up 4 goals on 14 shots, led many to believe something was off with the 32 year old.
Despite his approved leave of absence, Ullmark has remained close to the team, and had been spotted taking practice reps, and remaining involved in off ice activities in recent weeks.
Ottawa remains on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division. However, the team has strung together back to back wins over Vegas and Colorado as they hope to enter the Olympic break on a high note.
Puck drop for Ullmark’s return is set for 7pm ET in the Nation’s Capital.
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.