It is fitting that Andrew Hammond will arrive in Ottawa ahead of the Senators' pivotal tilt against the San Jose Sharks.

It has been 10 years since his historically unprecedented 'Hamburglar' run swept the collective imagination of this city while single-handedly slingshotting the Senators into the postseason.

Key injuries to Brady Tkachuk and centres Josh Norris and Shane Pinto have unquestionably impacted the roster and its quality of depth. Still, injuries are something every organization has to experience and adjust to throughout the course of an NHL season.

When the opposition has a power play, teams need their goaltender to be their best penalty killer, and it is no different when a team's roster is shorthanded. Strong goaltending is one of the best ways to counteract the absence of key players.

Whether you believe it is correlation or causation, the Senators have struggled since Linus Ullmark returned from injury. Their best statistical goaltender, Leevi Merilainen, was sent down to Belleville to preserve the organization's goaltending depth and avoid making a difficult decision on Anton Forsberg's future. Rather than keep the hot hand and take on some risk by trading or waiving the veteran Forsberg, the organization took the easier path, relying on Merilainen's entry-level contract's flexibility to keep its three goaltenders.

Unfortunately, similar to how ineffective he was when he returned from an undisclosed strain earlier in the season, Ullmark has played poorly since his return on February 4th.

"Alright, but alright doesn't really cut it in this league," Ullmark answered frankly while responding to a question asking him to evaluate his game following last night's 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. "I would say the frustrating part is that I'm still looking for that first win since coming back, but it's going to come sooner or later, hopefully as soon as Saturday."

It has been a frustrating season for the goaltender. Given the opportunity cost used to acquire him and the money the organization has invested in him through his four-year contract extension, the expectations placed on Ullmark are understandably high.

He has played fewer than 50 percent of the team's 58 games, making 27 appearances. Except for his brilliant nine-game stretch from late November to the Christmas break, his performance has left something to be desired. According to NaturalStatTrick's game logs, in these remaining 18 appearances, Ullmark has posted an .886 five-on-five save percentage while averaging 3.20 goals allowed per 60 minutes of five-on-five ice time. His -3.72 goals saved above average during these games is not flattering either. He surely would want back Mason Appleton's goal-mouth tap-in after he failed to contain an innocuous Nino Niederreiter backhand shot.

In fairness to Ullmark, his preseason was incredibly strong, and he looked like a world-beater during the team's home opener against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

His season numbers still look strong thanks to that incredible nine-game stretch when he went 8-0-1 with a .960 five-on-five save percentage. His 7.59 goals saved above expected per Evolving-Hockey is the 25th-highest mark in the league.

Was his hot stretch sustainable?

No, eventually, his numbers would have normalized, even if he had never sustained an injury. No one can carry that level of performance over an entire season, but I do not believe he is as bad as his recent performances suggest. If anything, they are reminiscent of how he played upon his return from the injury he suffered during the team's second game of the season in Montreal.

This may be an instance where it is reasonable to assume he needs time to recuperate and get his timing and comfort levels back.

Many hoped his rust would be shaken off during the Four Nations Faceoff, but Ullmark played sparingly. He only played 41 minutes of Sweden's second tournament game after the flu-like symptoms shelved Filip Gustavsson.

Unfortunately, like many of the injuries that are afflicting the Senators' talent level, the only remedy for Ullmark's play is time. And, the Senators have to hope they do not dig themselves too big of a hole to climb out of. With the team being two points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Eastern Conference's second wild card, and four points back of the Detroit Red Wings and the first wild card, they desperately need to pick up points to stay in the race.

Fortunately, several head-to-head matchups with opponents jockeying for playoff spots are on the horizon. The Senators have an opportunity and should be in the driver's seat with their favourable schedule. In saying that, they still need to go out and win those games.

Linus Ullmark needs to be a big part of it. It is what the Senators acquired him for.

By Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News Ottawa

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