Linus Ullmark tasked with leading Ottawa Senators to playoffs

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Linus Ullmark is back from the 4 Nations Face-Off, his experience with Team Sweden in the rearview mirror and the task of paving the road to the National Hockey League playoffs ahead.

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The Ottawa Senators’ No. 1 goaltender was on the job Wednesday after Sweden wrapped up it participation in the tournament in Montreal and Boston and wanted to get a skate in because the club only held an off-ice workout on Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

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Though Ullmark only played 40 minutes for Sweden as the No. 2 goalie behind the Minnesota Wild’s Filip Gustavsson, the experience was good because the 31-year-old had missed six weeks with a back injury before the tournament started and had an opportunity to work on his game.

It’s expected that Ullmark will be in net against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, making his first start at home since Dec. 14 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After leaving a game against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 22 after the first period, Ullmark didn’t return until he faced the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 4, losing 4-3 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena. He had gone 45 days between games.

“It’s absolutely brutal. It sucks,” Ullmark said of being injured. “When it’s your first year, second year or whatever, it happens. I’d to bring a couple of other words into this mix, but I’m trying to be mature. But, at the same time, I’m not going to lie because it’s frustrating for everyone who goes through it.

“It’s something you want to do. You don’t want to lose games, you want to be in it and you want to play. Being on the sideline is no fun. Winning is a lot of fun, especially when you’re part of it.”

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The reality is a lot of the future for the Senators rests squarely on the shoulders of Ullmark staying healthy and continuing his strong play.

The Senators are sitting in a wildcard spot in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference as the action resumes after the break in the schedule for the 4 Nations event, and Ullmark will play a key role in whether the dream will become reality for this group or not if he can stay healthy.

In 25 appearances, Ullmark has a 12-9-2 record along with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. He lost two straight starts in his return to the net before the break, and that was why suiting up for Sweden may have been a blessing.

“It was a lot of fun, and those were important games,” Ullmark said. “I can only speak for myself, but it was good to get away, still practise and get to play a couple of minutes there instead of having five or six days off.

“That’s something that was well-earned for the rest of the group. But I also came back from an injury, and that’s why I’m here today because I feel that I need to go back out there and keep pounding away so I can get the (repetitions) that I need before Saturday and then onwards towards the next ones.”

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Ullmark went to the playoffs with the Boston Bruins in each of the past three springs, so he knows how difficult it is to get there. He is taking nothing for granted in the Senators’ final 26 games of the regular season.

This next stretch will be demanding, but he is confident the Senators will have the right approach as they prepare for games that will determine whether they have had a successful season or not.

‘Winning is a luxury. It comes with a lot of hard work, and then you don’t focus on the results. You focus on the process,” Ullmark said.  “And, with that, if you stay true to your process and work hard, and I guess prior to that, you really try to put your foot in front of the other every day, the results are going to come, and those are hard-earned.

“In this league, it is a luxury and it’s not easy. So, whenever you (get results), you’ve got to be happy. I can speak from experience: When you get there and win almost every single night, it becomes a habit and it’s not as fun. You want a well-earned, hard-fought game because that’s going to prepare you for down the road.”

The Senators will likely be without centres Shane Pinto and Josh Norris against the Habs on Saturday. Neither has skated with the group yet and the Senators have only one skate left on Friday before hosting Montreal.

Captain Brady Tkachuk and defenceman Jake Sanderson, who skated for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada in Boston on Thursday, won’t be required to skate with the Senators on Friday. They are expected to participate in the morning skate on Saturday.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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