Goaltending Struggles Are Sinking the Ottawa Senators Season

The Ottawa Senators have excelled in almost every facet of their game this season, except for the most important one. Goaltending is one of the most important positions in all of sports. It could very easily be the difference maker between you being a mediocre team and being an elite team. When you’re not getting it, it’s the elephant in the room.

The 2025-26 Ottawa Senators Goaltending Struggles Continue

That’s been the case for the Ottawa Senators all season long. The season can be defined by having the second-best goaltender on a lot of nights. It hasn’t been a lack of effort or execution, but the lack of saves. Linus Ullmark simply has not been good enough.

There was no greater display of that than on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Late in the third, the Senators were close to forcing overtime and securing a point when a routine Alex Newhook shot was fumbled, leaving a rebound available for Ivan Demidov to put in the eventual game-winning goal.

At this point in time for a team chasing a Stanley Cup Playoff spot, plays like that just cannot happen.

Playoff Odds Are Dropping

As a result of that loss, the Senators’ playoff odds dropped from 55 to 40 per cent and currently find themselves five points out of a playoff spot. If you want to keep an optimistic perspective, this was only Ullmark’s first regulation loss since Dec. 9 and the Senators have earned points in 12 of his last 14 appearances. He also made some great saves in that game to keep the Senators in it.

In addition, he has a 19-9-7 record this season and has the best save percentage of any goaltender for the Senators. However, Ullmark was paid over $8 million to be a difference maker, not to have games like the one on Wednesday and not to be outduelled by a 21-year-old in Jacob Fowler.

According to Evolving Hockey, Ullmark has had four instances of posting a goals saved above expected of plus-one this season compared to 10 games where he’s had a worse than minus-one goals saved above expected. He also sits second-last in that category along with the Senators having the league’s worst save percentage despite only allowing the third-fewest shots per game.

The statistics are certainly not in the goaltenders’ favour. Players and coaches can attempt to avoid to acknowledge it, but eventually it reaches a point where outward frustration begins to become evident.

Struggles Have Persisted All Around

Of course Linus Ullmark hasn’t been the only goaltender whose had his fair share of struggles this season. Just a couple weeks ago, Jake Sanderson made a comment about Leevi Merilainen’s performance against Montreal. It’s been an all too familiar sight with multiple goaltenders for the fan base.

The Senators don’t need their goaltenders to stand on their heads every night, but they need to get the necessary stops at key moments. Even if their goaltending was close to league average, the Senators would be in a much better spot. The goaltending is also a significant reason why general manager Steve Staios was likely hesitant to move any upcoming unrestricted free agents at the trade deadline.

The Senators can’t afford to let points slip away as they did against the Canadiens because they continue to not get a big save at a big time. The Senators have gotten themselves back in the thick of the playoff race but don’t control their own destiny. Even more reason as to why they need their goaltenders to be sharp in these final games.

Goaltending Needs to Vastly Improve

Of course, it must be acknowledged that Ullmark has been through a lot off the ice this year and hopefully all is well on that front. But it is the NHL and the results are the biggest factor. The performance against Montreal has been a part of a larger trend, not just an aberration.

Even when the Senators were having their most success, it was in spite of Ullmark. Maybe it’s time for James Reimer to get a bit of a long leash, or maybe you ride or die with the guy you paid the most amount of money to. Nevertheless, you’re going to need better, otherwise you can kiss this season goodbye.

The Senators are executing in the other facets of their game. They are getting offensive contributions from their star players and depth, they’re special teams look good and their defensive play has been top notch. But ultimately it will be up to their goaltending to decide the fate of this season.