As the Ottawa Senators get ready to play the Winnipeg Jets tonight at 7 p.m. ET, the team is currently without momentum. After Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, the Senators' losing streak is now at four games.
Feeling that their backs are against the wall at the moment could be a fair thing to say. After the Columbus Blue Jackets won last night, they jumped the Senators in the Eastern Conference standings and are now the second Wild Card seed with 64 points.
With the best team in the NHL coming into Ottawa tonight, February will end with a tough test. Even with falling out of a playoff spot, the Senators can still make the playoffs. But, one Senator needs to raise his game and be consistent in order for the Senators to make the playoffs.
Ullmark has to be better in order for Sens to make 2025 playoffs
There's no doubt that if the Senators are going to get a spot in the 2025 playoffs, then goaltender Linus Ullmark needs to be better in between the pipes. The pressure on the 31-year-old this season to help get the Senators back into the playoffs for the first time since 2017 has never been higher than it is now.
Ullmark missed the next 19 games after he suffered an injury in the Senators' final game before Christmas. Since Ullmark has returned, his three starts have been rough.
Ullmark has lost all three of his starts, but the goals he's allowed in each game have gone up. Ullmark allowed in three goals in the Senators' 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 4. Even with making 43 saves against the Florida Panthers on Feb. 8, Ullmark allowed in four goals in the Senators' 5-1 loss. However, Ullmark's last start was arguably his worst start of the season.
Against the Montreal Canadiens this past Saturday, Ullmark allowed in five goals on 15 shots on goal and was pulled in the second period. In two starts against the Canadiens this season, Ullmark has allowed in nine goals. The concern around Ullmark after getting pulled against the Canadiens grew heavily. After his start against the Canadiens, Ullmark has a 4.88 goals against average and .879 save percentage since returning.
Ullmark desperately needs to show why he was one of the top goaltenders in the NHL over the past two seasons when he was a member of the Boston Bruins. The Senators need Ullmark to play like he did in December when he went 7-0-1 with a 1.30 goals against average and .956 save percentage for the month. If Ullmark remains cold, the Senators could fall further in the standings.
Hot goaltending can help get a team into the playoffs. In 2015, the Senators saw goaltender Andrew Hammond get hot to lift the Senators to help them make the playoffs. Now 10 years later, the Senators hope Ullmark can do the same and help lift the team make into the playoffs.