1. The hype around the new starting goaltender in town was legit
For the past seven seasons, goaltending has been a key issue for the Senators in order to make the playoffs. The Senators made a trade to acquire 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins in June.
The Senators traded Joonas Korpisalo in order to get Ullmark. After the Panthers scored six goals against Korpisalo and the Bruins on Tuesday night, more pressure was placed on Ullmark to not have the Panthers replicate how elite their offense can be.
In his Senators debut, Ullmark sparkled by recording 30 saves to earn the win. For Ullmark to allow just one goal to earn his first win in a Senators jersey made opening night more special.
The Panthers entered the third period with momentum by cutting the Senators lead down to 2-1 in the final minutes of the second period. Ullmark didn't let the Panthers offense faze him and made 16 saves in the third period to seal the game.
Big save by Ullmark on Tkachuk. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/Z9vVSDCUIp
— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) October 11, 2024
On the day before opening night, the Senators gave Ullmark a four-year extension. After the first game of the season, Ullmark showed why he earned the extension, and made the Senators stick it to the Bruins more for trading away Ullmark to the Senators.
The Senators will be back in action on Saturday night as the team hits the road for the first time this season to take on the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The Canadiens are 1-1-0 so far this season. The Senators struggled on the road last season finishing with a 16-23-2 record, but defeated the Canadiens in all three meetings last season.