Senators Postgame: Ullmark Shutout Keeps Sens Alive

With the season on the line, the Senators just played a masterful defensive game. Led by Linus Ullmark, they shut out the Maple Leafs 4-0 to send the series back to Ottawa. Thomas Chabot’s first ever playoff goal was the winner, and Dylan Cozens’ first ever playoff goal while shorthanded gave the Senators some breathing room in the third. Two empty netters would cap off a fantastic effort. Let’s dive into the details on the Senators big game five victory!

READ MORE: The History of the Battle of Ontario

Ullmark Stands Tall

It was apparent early on that Linus Ullmark was in the zone. He was calm, well-positioned, and gave up very few rebound opportunities. The Senators went to the penalty kill late in the first, but Ullmark came up big. The Sens were shorthanded two additional times, and each time Ullmark made some key saves. All in all, he made 27 saves, including eight on the penalty kill. In his first three games of the series, Ullmark had a .750, .857 and .850 SV%. He stepped up in game four with a .912 SV%, and was even better tonight with his first ever playoff shutout. The Senators needed Ullmark to be the better goalie if they were going to win this series, and that’s what he’s done over these last two games.

More First Time Goal Scorers

As mentioned above, both Chabot and Cozens scored their first ever playoff goals. Chabot’s was one of the rare point shots that has made its way through the Leafs group of players committed to blocking every shot. Cozens’ was a great finish while shorthanded on a nice set-up by Gaudette. Gaudette had picked off a pass in the defensive zone and then made a firm pass over the Cozens in the offensive zone on a two-on-one. Interestingly enough, Cozens isn’t a regular on the penalty kill but was out there because Greig, who is a regular, was in the box. The aforementioned Gaudette also scored his first ever playoff goal in this series. Here’s the list of the others who have done so: Sanderson, Tkachuk, Stützle, Pinto, Greig, and Batherson.

Additional Notes

The biggest difference in the first three games compared to the last two has been the battle between the Maple Leafs power play and the Senators penalty kill. Through the first three games, the Leafs had scored five power goals on nine opportunities. In the last two games, they are scoreless on seven opportunities, and the Sens have scored two shorthanded goals. The Senators needed Tkachuk and Stützle to produce offensively and try to keep up with the likes of Marner, Matthews, and Nylander. In tonight’s game, they both scored three points, including an empty netter for each of them. Artem Zub had a real hard-nosed game tonight. He played 23:46 and blocked eight shots.