It seems that a new mask was just what the doctor — ahem, Dave Gunnarsson — ordered for Linus Ullmark. Since debuting the Norse mythology-inspired mask in Columbus on Dec. 11, Ullmark has won four straight games (three with the mask, which he wears on the road.)
Three of those wins came last week, including one of the shutout variety, earning Ullmark the NHL’s second star of the week. Ullmark is the third Senator this season to be named a star of the week, along with Shane Pinto after the first week of the season and Drake Batherson after the fifth.
Ullmark’s shutout came against Pittsburgh, negating Sidney Crosby’s chase for the Penguins’ franchise scoring record. The Swede improved to 7-0-0 against Crosby and the Penguins for his career.
On Sunday night, Ullmark backstopped the Senators to a win over his former Boston Bruins, with whom he won a Vezina Trophy in 2022–23 as the league’s top goaltender. That was Ullmark’s fourth start against the Bruins since joining Ottawa, and he remains undefeated in regulation (3-0-1).
Ullmark’s hot streak has coincided with the Senators scoring the first goal of the game in all four games, much different from how the Senators started the season. “It’s good,” said Ullmark of how that changes things after the win over Pittsburgh.
“You don’t want to be a team that always has to come back in games, if you’re having a bad start [and] it takes a little while to get settled in. You want to be a team that goes out there, plays hard, first 10 minutes, and gets the other team on their heels. Make this barn tough to come into and play in.”
Ullmark was also recognized by the NHL last December. For the week ending Dec. 15, the goaltender was named the NHL’s third star of the week after recording three wins (part of five straight overall), and a .967 save percentage and 0.99 goals-against average in the week. Like last week, Ullmark also picked up his first shutout of the season during that timeframe.
