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It was the veteran goalie’s first start since Dec. 27 and followed a lengthy break for mental health leave.
Published Jan 31, 2026 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read
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Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark watches the puck as it slides toward the Devils’ Cody Glass and teammates Ridly Greig (71) and Dylan Cozens (24) in the first period of Saturday’s game in Ottawa. Photo by Justin Tang /The Canadian PressArticle content
Linus Ullmark, introduced as the No. 1 star, pounded his chest to the faithful as he was welcomed back with open arms.
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The Ottawa Senators’ top goaltender returned to the net for the first time in 35 days and delivered a standout effort with 25 stops in a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in front of a sellout crowd of 18,319 at the Canadian Tire Centre.
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“I felt like I came out of retirement during practices because I hadn’t had a real practice since before Christmas,” said Ullmark. “It’s been a battle coming back. The same thing happened now, I had been gone for so long, that there was an excitement, I was nervous, which I haven’t been in a long time. That’s positive.”
Captain Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto, Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens scored for the Senators, who closed out the homestand with three straight wins. Stutzle’s third-period goal made it 3-1 and Pinto put this victory away by scoring into an empty net.
The Senators finished the game with only five defencemen after Thomas Chabot headed to the dressing room with what appeared to be an injury to his right hand or arm. The club called it a precautionary move.
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Saturday’s start was Ullmark’s first since he was pulled from a contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 27; he took a leave of absence for mental-health reasons the next day. He returned to skating with the Senators two weeks ago and had dressed as a backup goalie twice before getting the start against the Devils.
He was given a warm welcome by the club’s faithful, and he was emotional at the final buzzer.
“It was really hard holding it together, and I didn’t want to hold it together; that’s something we’ve been working on, letting the feelings flow a little bit, because there is nothing bad about that,” said Ullmark.
Cozens scored the go-ahead marker on a power play only 37 seconds into the third period, when he picked up a rebound down low and fired the puck by New Jersey netminder Jake Allen. That was the Senators’ second goal with the man advantage, which meant a lot in a tight game like this one.
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Ottawa’s much-maligned penalty-killing unit held the Devils to 0-for-4, which was also a key. The Senators dodged a bullet with less than five minutes left when New Jersey’s Connor Brown had a goal waved off because officials determined his hand pass had deflected into the net off Ullmark’s stick.
STRONG RECORD
Ullmark came into this night with a 12-5-0 record in 18 career games against the Devils, along with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. That record alone should have helped his confidence.
He had played 28 of Ottawa’s first 37 games before he needed to step away, so getting him back was paramount. Ullmark’s numbers to that point weren’t sparkling, but he had a 14-8-5 record, and his play was trending in the right direction in December.
Ullmark was sharp on Saturday and looked as if he hadn’t missed a beat in the 16 games he was away. Even one of the officials, Justin Kea, a former teammate of Ullmark’s in Rochester, had a short chat with him three minutes into the game to welcome him back.
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The fans were on their feet to applaud Ullmark in the third period.
“We take a lot for granted as players. You play 82 games in a short amount of time, and you don’t get a chance to step back and think about what you’re actually doing. I had a moment to do that, and I’m really thankful for the support of the fans,” said Ullmark. “The biggest thing is the support in this locker room has been tremendous.”
The Senators’ Drake Batherson (19) tries a shot on goal against Devils netminder Jake Allen (34) in the second period of the game on Saturday night. Photo by Justin Tang /The Canadian PressRETURN TO THE RACE
The Senators were 10 points back of the final playoff wildcard spot in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference heading into the visit by the Devils. That’s a large gap to make up with only 28 games remaining, but Ottawa players are trying not to look at the big picture and instead to focus on the next game alone.
Through 40 minutes, the two clubs were tied 1-1. Allen was having a solid effort as well.
The Devils’ Jonas Siegenthaler (71) falls after taking a check along the boards from the Senators’ Brady Tkachuk (7) in the second period. Photo by Justin Tang /The Canadian PressWELCOME BACK
The Senators didn’t exactly let Ullmark ease back into the job. They gave the Devils a couple of glorious opportunities early in the contest, and he was forced to make some key stops.
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There wasn’t a lot Ullmark could do when Timo Meier tied it up 1-1 with 1:24 left in the first period. Ullmark was trying to get across the net when Meier fired the puck in on the glove side.
“He showed from his first shift, and first shot, that he was going to be rock solid tonight,” said Tkachuk. “That’s why he’s one of the best goalies in the league. That’s why it was pretty amazing to see the support for him and how much we missed him out there.”
Tkachuk opened the scoring at 13:38 of the first on a power play.
That was No. 14 of the season for the Ottawa captain. Tkachuk did a good job holding onto the puck long enough for him to beat Allen with a shot low on the glove side.
The Senators closed out January with an 8-6-2 record. Two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning was in the house with his daughter’s New Jersey hockey team.
bgarrioch@postmedia.com
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