Senators goalie Linus Ullmark describes his start to camp as “terrible”

Linus Ullmark is his own worst critic.

He didn’t hold back with an honest assessment of his own play after his second straight day on the ice at the Ottawa Senators’ training camp.

Ullmark said he holds a high standard for himself, and he hasn’t met it as the club prepares to open the exhibition schedule against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday afternoon at the Canadian Tire Centre.

“I thought that was a pretty terrible showing,” said Ullmark when asked how the first two days of camp had gone. “Sometimes that happens. Sometimes you’re the best one out there, and sometimes you’re not, but you’ve got to come in and have a little bit better one tomorrow.

“I have to acknowledge it and move forward.”

That’s not exactly what you want to hear from your 32-year-old top goalie, who is starting the first year of a four-year, $33 million US extension that will pay him $8.25 million this season.

The media wants answers from the players, and Ullmark was willing to offer one from his perspective.

That didn’t faze coach Travis Green.

“He has been fine,” Green said. “Linus can be hard on himself. I thought he had a good Day 1. I didn’t watch him overly closely today. I’m pretty sure he didn’t let in a goal in the scrimmage.”

Nobody needs to sound an alarm. As the late Bob Cole used to tell viewers on Hockey Night in Canada, “Relax, everybody, relax.”

Even Ullmark had to admit it has been only two days, so there’s no cause for concern. If he’s feeling this way two weeks from now, then that would indeed be an issue.

“I have a pretty high standard, and I don’t think I’m getting up to that standard as of yet,” said Ullmark. “The good news is that it’s only two practices into the season, so I’m not really that worried about it.”

On that point, Ullmark couldn’t be more correct.

But if the Senators are going to pick up where they left off last spring and make it to the playoffs for a second straight year, then they need their No. 1 goalie to be at the top of his game.

Ullmark enjoyed his off-season at his home in northern Sweden and returned to the ice in early August, like he does every year.

For the second straight year, Ottawa goalie coach Justin Peters made the trip overseas to work with Ullmark on getting ready for camp. They spent a week together, and it’s something that started last summer after Ullmark was dealt to the Senators from the Boston Bruins.

Last year, it was a chance to get to know each other, and this year, the approach was different after Ullmark helped the Senators make the playoffs before losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

“(Peters) came over, and we did a full week of trying to get a head start to work on different details, like the mindset and other things. I thought it was pretty good,” Ullmark said. “But then I also think we’re going to have to do some little changes for next summer that might improve how I feel now.

“You live as you learn, and that’s exciting as well.”

Ullmark will enter his second full season with the Senators, and this year, the expectation is that the club will go even further than it did last spring.

There was a lot of talk heading into the series against the Leafs that the Senators lacked playoff experience. That won’t be the case this season, and Ullmark is confident the approach this year will be better.

“I thought we grew from it,” Ullmark said.

The expectation is that Leevi Merilainen will be Ullmark’s backup. The Senators need Ullmark to be at the top of his game and stay healthy.

If the Senators continue to progress defensively and offensively in front of Ullmark, then that will help the team have success. It’s not all on him, although the goalie plays a large role in how a team performs nightly.

He will be asked to carry the load, but the schedule is compressed, with a three-week break for the Winter Olympics in February looming.

“Linus is a good goalie, and I still project him to play a lot of games, and a lot of that will come down to how he feels, and we definitely don’t want to tax him too much,” Green said.

“It’s going to be a shortened season, and someone else is going to have to play in 30 to 35 games. I don’t know what the number is exactly. You go into a season thinking all you want, but we don’t have it down to an exact number.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com