Linus Ullmark made an emotional return to the Senators on Saturday night.

The goalie made his first start since Dec. 27. Ullmark stopped. 26 shots in Ottawa’s 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

“There were some doubts,” Ullmark told reporters after the game. “I said I’m going to have to be 100% if I’m going to go back. And slowly but surely, that week, this week, things have gone in the right direction.”

Ullmark took a leave of absence from the Senators in December. He revealed it was due to mental health struggles, including anxiety and panic attacks he had dealt with since June 2024.

Leading up to his start against New Jersey, the goalie revealed he checked things off his checklist to make him feel like he was ready to get back between the pipes.

“There’s always going to be doubts when push comes to shove.” the goalie said. “There’s never a perfect game to come back.

“I felt like I was in a good enough place where I felt  confident in my game,” he added. “I felt confident in my physical abilities to go out there and perform.”

Once he was on the ice, he began to feel excitement — something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Prior to the game, the Senators played a tribute video for Ullmark that featured thank you messages from fans and teammates, calling him an inspiration for opening up about his mental health. He then received an ovation from the crowd at Canadian Tire Centre.

“It was hard to hold it together. I didn’t want to hold it together,” Ullmark said, noting that there was “nothing bad about” letting his emotions flow.

“There’s a lot of things that we take for granted when it comes to hockey in general,” he said. “And as players, we play 82 games in a short amount of time. So you don’t really have time to take a step back and think about what you’re actually doing. I had the moment to do that. And I’m really thankful for the support from the fans, warmups, during the anthems, and throughout the game as well.”

Ullmark credited his teammates for being supportive since Day 1, and his teammates were happy to have him back in the locker room and on the ice.

“Our MVP tonight was Linus Ullmark,” Brady Tkachuk said.