Linus Ullmark's Injury Could Be Short-Term, But Ottawa Faces a Goaltending Test

The Senators got the result they wanted on Wednesday, but the night ended with a goaltending problem that could shape their early season. Ottawa beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 in Brady Tkachuk's return, and the Sens controlled most of it. The concern came in the third period, when starter Linus Ullmark left the game.

What happened on the ice

Ullmark exited at the 3:25 mark of the third period after making 18 saves. He had been solid through that point, which is what makes the stoppage stand out. The play that led to the injury looked routine, the sort of movement a goalie makes dozens of times a game. The club later described the problem as a lower-body injury. Video of him being helped off the ice circulated quickly on social media, and that footage is what sent fans looking for answers.

Ottawa placed Ullmark on injured reserve on Thursday. Johansson, from the Belleville affiliate, was recalled in a corresponding move, which is the mechanical part of the process. An IR placement is a roster move that opens a spot. It doesn't tell you how long the goalie will be out, and that distinction matters here.

The expert read: probably a groin strain

Dr. Harjas Grewal offered the most useful early opinion. Based on the video, he said the injury looks like a groin strain, but he was careful about the timeline. In his words: "Likely a groin strain for Ullmark. Could be as minimal as something that's day to day or more severe and out multiple weeks, really can't tell that via video. Scan tomorrow will help with determining the timeline."

That's the honest answer, and it leaves two possibilities open. A groin strain can range from a few days of rest to a multi-week absence depending on the grade, and a scan is the thing that narrows it down. The gap between those outcomes is huge for a team that's trying to win every night. Grewal's read is that the injury may not be serious, but nobody outside the medical staff can confirm that yet.

The report of a couple of weeks as a plausible absence fits that framework. A team usually doesn't place a player on IR for a minor tweak with a two-day recovery window, and Ottawa's move suggests the staff expects Ullmark to miss a meaningful stretch. My read is that the club is protecting itself on the roster while it waits for imaging, which is a sensible way to handle it.

Why this matters for the Senators

Here's the thing: Ottawa is in a good spot. The team has started strong, and Wednesday's win pushed it to the top of the Atlantic Division. A club in that position has room to absorb a short absence. A longer one tests depth in a way that's harder to hide.

That's where the goaltending picture gets tricky. Ottawa will lean on Johansson and Samuel Ersson while Ullmark is out. Ersson hasn't been steady so far, and that's the issue that makes this more than a roster formality. A backup or tandem goalie who doesn't win games can drag a strong skater group back into the middle of the standings quickly. The Senators' first challenge is less about their top six and more about whether the net holds up on nights when the chances are even.

That said, the options are limited. Ottawa can't replace Ullmark with a star. The practical plan is to tighten up in front of whoever is in net, limit the high-danger looks, and make the goalies' jobs easier. Teams in this spot typically lean on structure and shot suppression, and they rely on the skaters to take care of the chances they can control. That isn't glamorous, but it's the way through a stretch without the starter.

Unless this turns into a season-ending issue, which nothing in the current reporting suggests, Ottawa's best path is to hold the line until Ullmark is back. Every extra point banked while he's out is a point the Senators won't need to chase later.

What to watch next

The next data point is the scan Grewal mentioned, and the team's update after it. That will set the real timeline. Until then, the most useful thing to watch is Thursday night's game against the San Jose Sharks. It's the first real test of how the Senators handle life without their starter, and the goaltending on that night will tell us more than any early diagnosis.

If the scan shows a mild strain, Ottawa will look like a team that survived a bump in the road. If it shows a longer absence, the Senators will need Johansson or Ersson to find a rhythm quickly, and the defence in front of them will have to play its best hockey of the season. Either way, the next few games will reveal what this roster can do when the top goalie isn't in the crease.