Senators Goalie Named Third Star of Week
It was a slow start, but the Ottawa Senators are finally getting impeccable work from starting goalie Linus Ullmark. With their star netminder riding a hot streak, the Senators have found themselves in playoff positioning, with a 15-13-2 record.
After a perfect week between the pipes for the Senators, Ullmark was rewarded as the NHL’s third star of the week. With three wins in three starts, including a shutout over the Carolina Hurricanes, Ullmarks extended his point streak to seven games (6-0-1).
On top of going 3-0-0 in the past week, Ullmark notched a .967 save percentage and 0.99 goals against average.
Even more impressive, the night after his 32-save shutout over the Hurricanes, Ullmark was forced to start the second half of a back-to-back. Expected starter Anton Forsberg tweaked something before warmups, forcing Ullmark to make his second start in as many nights.
It was also a back-to-back with travel for the Senators as their meeting with the Hurricanes took place in Carolina.
While an emergency backup goalie raced to the arena, Ullmark did a good job of shutting down the Pittsburgh Penguins back in Ottawa. Even while completely gassed, Ullmark stopped 25 of 27 shots faced against the Penguins for the overtime win.
Ullmark started off his solid week with a 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, where he made 31 saves on 32 total shots.
Riding a 6-0-1 run, Ullmark has improved his record to 10-7-2 with a pair of shutouts. Considering the sloppy start to the season, the Senators might have a legitimate answer in goal for a few seasons to come.
In 20 games played, Ullmark holds a .910 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average.
The NHL also recognized Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon as the second star of the week, and Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl as the first.