Ullmark Amazes, Senators Fall in Overtime

Well, maybe it’s good to get that first loss out of the way. The Senators fell 3-2 in overtime last night to the Buffalo Sabres, being outshot 41-16 in the process. They were less than a minute away from winning in regulation when Isak Rosen scored with the Sabres goalie pulled to tie the game. Noah Ostlund scored a nice goal in tight in overtime to finish this one off as the Sabres win their fourth straight preseason game. The Senators did have a few positives come out of this one, especially their new goaltender, Linus Ullmark, who was spectacular in the games first half.

READ MORE: Projecting Ullmark’s Next Contract

Linus Ullmark Puts on a Show

How about that for a Senators debut? Ullmark was sensational in his first game with the Senators. In half a game of work, he stopped all but one of the 29 shots he faced. That included some incredible saves, especially a left pad save partway through the first on Mason Jobst. The Senators were thoroughly dominated in that first period, being outshot 24-5. If not for Ullmark’s heroics, this could’ve been ugly. Everyone looked at the Ullmark trade as a smart one for the Senators. This type of debut just helps grow the fanbase excitement for a legitimate high end number one goalie.

Yakemchuk Flourishes Once Again

Talk about exciting the fanbase. Yakemchuk was once again a standout, fresh off his opening preseason game where he scored the highlight reel game winner in overtime. This time around, Yakemchuk assisted on both Senators goals. He finished the night with just over 22 minutes of ice-time, looking quite comfortable in all situations he’s placed in. It was obvious before the preseason started that Yakemchuk would be sent back to the WHL. After two stellar games, the obvious doesn’t seem so obvious now.

Additional Notes

Two games and two goals for Adam Gaudette. He’s doing what he can to show that he can help at the NHL level. Donovan Sebrango, who came to the Senators from the Detroit Red Wings in the Alex Debrincat trade, has shown himself well in his two preseason games. Two games, two fights, some big hits, and even a goal in his first game. If nothing else, he’s showing himself to be a workhorse that will help Belleville this season.

It’s hard to know what to make of Zack Ostapchuk’s game. Fresh off a game winner against the Leafs, he was given a chance to shine last night. He played 24 shifts, the most of any Senators forward. That included being tasked with holding the one goal lead late. Unfortunately, he lost the faceoff which led to the game tying goal. Then, in overtime, he was the player who lost Ostlund on Buffalo’s game winner. These are learning moments, but with so few spots available, they might have hurt Ostapchuk’s chances of sticking around with the Ottawa Senators to start the year.

Coming Up

The Senators will play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday night at 7pm. You can expect Travis Green and company to start making some cuts as the regular season closes in. Can we just skip ahead to October 10th?