Linus Ullmark Could Be the Key to a Big Senators Season

I came away from the Ottawa Senators' win over the Toronto Maple Leafs with a thought that had less to do with the Maple Leafs than the Senators. Linus Ullmark looked pretty good. He stopped 27 of 29 shots in Ottawa's 3-2 win Saturday, which isn't exactly ridiculous. It was one game. We're three games into the season. Nobody should be making big declarations about anybody yet.

But Ullmark is 1-0. And sometimes that's where the story starts. The Senators took over the third period against Toronto and made life considerably easier for their goaltender. That's important, too. A goalie can only do so much. If the team in front of him spends the final 20 minutes chasing the puck around its own zone, even a very good goaltender will eventually have a problem.

Ullmark still had to make the saves for his Senators to win. He did. And now he'll be back in the net Monday night against Boston.

Ottawa doesn't need Ullmark to be a superhero, just reliable.

I think this could be one of those seasons where we learn something about the relationship between a goaltender and the team playing in front of him. Ottawa doesn't need Ullmark to steal every game. In fact, if the Senators are going to have the kind of season they hope to have, they probably don't want their goalie having to steal every game.

They need him to be good. They need him to make the save that keeps a 2-1 game a 2-1 game. They need him to give them a chance when they aren't playing particularly well. And when they do play well, as they did for stretches against Toronto, they need him to make sure that good work isn't wasted.

That sounds pretty simple. Hockey rarely is. And this is where I think Ullmark becomes one of the more important players on this Ottawa team. If he has a really good season, the Senators could have a really good season. Not because one goalie can carry a team for 82 games. He can't.

If Ullmark is good this season, his team will play better in front of him.

It's because good goaltending can change the way a team plays. When players trust that the puck won't end up in their net every time they make a mistake, they can play a little differently. They can be a little more patient. They can attack.

And maybe that's the bigger story here. The Senators don't need Ullmark to be Superman. They need him to be Linus Ullmark. He’s already got a track record. And if he is consistent, Ottawa might find that it has something pretty important in its crease.

And after Saturday night, at least, the Senators have a 1-0 goaltender who looks ready to give them another chance tonight.