The Ottawa Senators suffered a damaging defeat Tuesday night, falling 6-3 to the Florida Panthers and extending their losing streak to three games.
With the regular season winding down and a playoff spot still up for grabs, the loss only intensified the pressure and sparked a wave of criticism directed at goaltender Linus Ullmark.
Senators Fans Frustrated at Linus Ullmark
Florida wasted no time taking control, scoring five goals in the first 15 minutes of the opening period. Ullmark surrendered five goals on 16 shots before being pulled, with James Reimer stepping in and making 12 saves in relief.
The rough night began immediately. Off the opening faceoff, a miscommunication between defenseman Jordan Spence and Ullmark led to an early goal from Noah Gregor. Just over a minute later, Mackie Samoskevich made it 2-0 on the power play, putting Ottawa on its heels almost instantly.
The Panthers continued to pile on, with Carter Verhaeghe adding a power-play goal at 9:09. Florida then struck twice in 34 seconds. At 14:02, A.J. Greer finished a one-timer from Eetu Luostarinen. And at 14:36, Verhaeghe scored again off a feed from Sam Bennett, leading to a closeout on Ullmark from the net.
Part of the criticism stemmed from Ullmark sitting out Ottawa’s previous 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Head coach Travis Green had indicated he wanted to start Ullmark in that game, but the goaltender needed rest. “I want to play Linus every night. But he needed a rest and he wasn’t available to start tonight,” Green said after the loss to Tampa Bay.
Following that rest, the performance against Florida left fans even more frustrated.
The take from Everyday Sens reflects the emotional side of the fan base. “I’m a little scared of the backlash Ullmark is about to face. Feel for the guy but you can’t take a day off and then have a brutal showing in a must-win situation. Simply can’t.”
PuckEmpire took a harsher stance, suggesting Ullmark is the main reason for the Senators’ playoff struggles. “Wasted season for what could’ve been a pretty deep run with league average goaltending imo. Instead, they got a guy who decided he wanted to retire before the ink even dried on his contract.”
Meanwhile, Postmedia hockey columnist Bruce Garrioch offered a more balanced perspective. “Get Ullmark out of there. He’s not getting any help either,” he wrote.
Another reaction from SleeperNHL noted Ullmark drinking water after allowing the fifth goal, calling it “So unserious.”
The defeat also had significant implications in the standings. A regulation win would have boosted Ottawa’s playoff odds to 61.8 percent, but the loss dropped them to 36.3 percent, a major setback with little time remaining.
With just eight games remaining, Ottawa’s margin for error is nearly gone. The Senators will try to regroup when they face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, hoping to keep their fading playoff hopes alive.
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