What Happened
The Ottawa Senators have activated Linus Ullmark from injured reserve, ending an eight-game absence caused by a lower-body injury, according to reporting from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen cited by Pro Hockey Rumors. Ullmark was hurt on October 21 against the Florida Panthers while stretching to make a save on Brady Tkachuk. To open a roster spot, Ottawa assigned goaltender Jonas Johansson to its AHL affiliate. Samuel Ersson, who split the workload with Johansson while Ullmark was out, remains in the backup role behind Ullmark.
Key Details
- Ullmark missed eight games with a lower-body injury sustained October 21 versus Florida
- Ullmark was 7-1-0 with a league-leading .945 save percentage before the injury
- Ersson posted a 3-1-1 record and .922 save percentage in four starts filling in
- Johansson went 1-2-0 with an .848 save percentage during the same stretch
- Ersson stays as Ullmark's backup despite a 2-3-0, .835 start to his season
- Johansson had a 3-1-1 record and .912 save percentage in five games with Belleville
What It Means
Ullmark's return gives Ottawa back a goaltender who was among the league's best through his first eight appearances, with a .945 save percentage. The Senators went 4-4-0 without him, cooling a strong start. Ersson's .922 save percentage in four starts was not enough to change the depth chart, and Johansson's .848 mark made the assignment decision straightforward. Ullmark's workload and form after the layoff are the main questions.
What's Next
Ottawa returns Ullmark to the crease as it tries to move back ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division. Johansson heads to Belleville, where Jackson Parsons and Kevin Reidler have handled the crease in his absence and Parsons has posted a 4-3-1 record with a .916 save percentage.