OTTAWA — Linus Ullmark knows there will be good days and bad days just like there will be good games and bad games. What matters is how he handles them.
The Ottawa Senators goaltender had a good day Saturday posting a 2-0 shutout against the Anaheim Ducks where he made 23 saves.
Ullmark took a leave of absence from the Senators earlier this year to deal with mental health issues.
Since his return to action Jan. 31, he’s played in nine of 12 games and gone 6-1-2.
When asked how he’s been feeling and how he’s maintaining focus Ullmark took a moment to reflect before answering.
“Well, it’s been better,” he said. “A lot of things that I dealt with was due to me not having the right tools to deal with them, and now, when I’ve done the work and continue to do so, having weekly conversations.
“It helps in the way of settling down in games and not take things for granted or get frustrated when you let the first puck in or, you know, sometimes it’s hard to be in the moment.”
Ullmark went on to add that it can be challenging “to be in the moment,” and not start to think about what could have gone better or be done differently.
“But now it feels better to kind of be able to look up into the sky, into the stands, seeing happy fans, kids having fun, or whatever, and try to enjoy it as much as they do,’” he said.
There’s no denying the Senators are better when Ullmark is at his best.
With Ottawa (33-23-9) pushing for a playoff spot, they need their goaltender to be solid and Saturday he gave them every chance to stay in the game.
Ullmark made a number of big saves to start the second when the game was scoreless, and the Ducks were pressing.
“He was great (Saturday),” said Senators coach Travis Green. “Good to see. Got a lot of belief in him.”
Teammates were also quick to offer their praise to their goaltender, recognizing his contributions.
“I think it kind of settles us down to know that, you know, he’s here tonight,” said Pinto. “And yeah, the whole game he made so many good saves, especially in the third there. And yeah, just a good team win. I’m just glad he got a shutout.”
Players admitted they fed off Ullmark’s poise and confidence and were able to build on it.
“At times your best player is your goaltender and he’s going to make some saves and he’s going to keep you in,” Chabot said. “I thought from there we went on and took over the game and didn’t give them much the rest of the game.”
General manager Steve Staios spoke to the broadcast during the first intermission and provided his full support to his goaltender and admitted he believes Ullmark provides the Senators with the best chance to become a contender.
‘It’s very hard to find goaltenders like this and I can understand when a goaltender goes through a stretch where he’s not playing well it gets scrutinized because of the position,” Staios said. “I certainly wouldn’t change a thing. We love having Linus Ullmark here and we believe in him, and we believe he’s going to turn it around.”
Heading into Saturday night’s games, the Senators sat three points out of a playoff spot. With 17 games remaining, Ottawa knows it needs to be at its best nearly every single game and having Ullmark play his best would go a long way in punching their ticket to the playoffs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2026.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
