'Brutal': Struggle remains real for Senators goalie Linus Ullmark

OTTAWA — Two Vezina Trophy winners squared off, but there was no question who was the better one.

Connor Hellebuyck > Linus Ullmark.

By no means was Ullmark the only cause of the Senators' 4-1 defeat on Wednesday to the Winnipeg Jets, a team that boosted its winning streak to an incredible 11 games.

However, Hellebuyck made no costly mistakes and Ullmark made one clear mistake. As they say, small margins make a gulf of difference in the NHL.

Ottawa was burned in the first by a careless Tim Stutzle no-look failed outlet pass that led to a Cole Perfetti tap-in to give Winnipeg the 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, Nino Neiderreiter sprung in on Ullmark with a weak backhand; Ullmark lost the rebound for what felt like a quantum minute before Mason Appleton fired the loose puck home with what would be the game-winning goal.

Despite making 35 saves, Ullmark could've been better, and Ottawa is now riding its worst losing streak of the season with five straight.

When Sportsnet.ca asked coach Travis Green post-game to evaluate Ullmark's performance since his return from a back injury in February, he said, “I don't want to speak for how he feels, but I think probably after the second goal tonight, he started to look at himself. But I’d probably say it's been average.”

Without big guns Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Shane Pinto — all out with injuries — the Senators were going to be hard-pressed to beat the best team in the league, but that’s when you need your star goaltender to step up. Ullmark hasn’t raised his level of play, losing all four of his recent starts when the team was without Norris and Pinto, including two games without Tkachuk. Ullmark allowed 14 goals in those four games.

Ullmark was honest when asked by Sportsnet.ca post-game to evaluate his play since his return from the back injury. 

“All right,” said Ullmark. “But 'all right' doesn't really cut it in this league, I would say. The frustrating part is that I'm still looking for that first win since coming back. But it's going to come sooner or later, hopefully as soon as Saturday."

When Ullmark was acquired and then signed to a four-year, $33-million extension a day before the regular season, the hopes were high that he’d be the Senators' elite goaltender, not an average one. The Senators bet on a goaltender with a great resume but someone who has never played more than 49 games in a season.

From the jump, Ullmark was hurt in pre-season, then again two games into the season and then once again in late December with a back injury, before returning in February. So far, the wager on Ullmark hasn’t worked out. There is plenty of runway left on his contract, but only 24 games left this season.

Ullmark was raw and honest about his injury-riddled season.

“Absolutely brutal, it sucks,” said Ullmark about his feelings after coming in and out of the lineup due to injuries. “You want to be in it. You want to play.”

 The Senators brought Ullmark in to steal games and, to his credit, he did that for a stretch in late November to late December before suffering his back injury, going 8-0-1 with ungodly numbers.

There have been two Ullmarks this season, unstoppable and a bit below average.

According to Natural StatTrick

Since his return in February, Ullmark has played against three Vezina Trophy winners in Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky. Each time, he’s been outclassed, giving up a bad goal when his team needed him most.

Against Tampa Bay and Florida, he let goals in from Brandon Hagel and Gustav Forsling from the hash marks when the game was tied or within a goal. Backbreakers. Even when not facing a Vezina winner, Ullmark gave up a juicy rebound on Saturday that landed on Josh Anderson’s stick which gave Montreal a 4-2 lead. He was later pulled.

Earlier this week, Ullmark explained how winning is a habit.

“Winning is a luxury,” said Ullmark. “It comes with a lot of hard work, and then you don't focus on the results. You focus on the process.”

The Senators have been desperate to have the luxury of having one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. They are now two points out of a playoff spot and cannot afford to drop farther out of the race.

A run by a Swedish Hamburglar is required.

Adams' apples

Angus Crookshank made his season debut on Wednesday, and there was something familiar about the call-up to the big leagues. As was the case when he was called up last year, Crookshank had just gotten back from the road after playing in Cleveland and after waking up from his 5:30-11 p.m. nap. After getting the call on Tuesday night, he immediately packed and drove to Ottawa in the middle of the night, just like he did last year. When Sportsnet.ca asked him about driving over two hours over midnight, Crookshank said, gleefully, “You do anything to play in the NHL.”

More injury woes

Defenceman Tyler Kleven left the game with a lower-body injury after fighting the Jets' Adam Lowry. The Senators do not have as much depth on the left side. If Kleven is to be out for an extended period of time, it might alter general manager Steve Staios’ plans for the deadline in terms of adding a left-shot defenceman.