Ullmark Was Brilliant in an Empty Senators' Postseason

Linus Ullmark’s postseason might end up being one of those rare cases where the numbers tell a very different story than the results. Because if you just look at the standings, it’s easy to assume the Ottawa Senators were outplayed across the board in their four-game sweep at the hands of Carolina. But that’s not what actually happened.

Ullmark was elite; the rest of the Senators team was not.

Ullmark was, without question, Ottawa’s best player in the series. Game after game, he gave them a chance they probably didn’t fully deserve based on how things were going in front of him. He faced heavy shot volume, consistent zone time against, and very little margin for error. Still, he delivered. His .932 save percentage over the series stands out on its own, but it becomes even more impressive when you factor in the workload and pressure he was under.

In a 4-2 Game 4 loss, he allowed just two goals. Earlier in the series, he stole moments that could have easily turned into blowouts if not for his positioning and patience in the net. Even in the 3-2 double-overtime loss in Game 2, he was sharp deep into extra time, keeping Ottawa alive when the game could have ended much earlier.

Sadly, for the Senators, Ullmark’s great play didn't turn into wins.

The frustrating part is that none of it translated into wins. Ottawa managed just a handful of goals across the entire series, with Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens essentially carrying the scoring load. That kind of offensive production simply isn’t enough in the playoffs, no matter how well your goalie is playing. And in Ullmark’s case, it created a series in which he did his job at a high level—but had almost no breathing room to actually build momentum.

It’s worth remembering that Ullmark’s season wasn’t straightforward either. He had an uneven regular season, dealt with a stretch of poor form, and even stepped away from the team at one point to address his mental health. When he returned, his game gradually stabilized, and by the end of the season, he looked much closer to the goalie Ottawa thought it was getting.

During the playoffs, Ullmark returned to full form.

He wasn’t just solid; he was one of the better goaltenders in the entire postseason statistically, even in a series where his team got swept. That’s a rare combination, and it puts him in a strange category alongside a very small group of goalies who’ve put up elite numbers in losing efforts.

For Ottawa, that creates an interesting offseason question. Because if Ullmark is going to play like this again, the team in front of him needs to be a lot more consistent. Otherwise, they’re going to waste exactly the kind of goaltending performance playoff teams usually dream about.

Related: Braeden Cootes Wild WHL Ride Has Turned Heads or Should the Senators Re-Sign Claude Giroux? or What Do the Oilers Do Now With Tristan Jarry?