OTTAWA — John Tortorella called a timeout partway through the second period as his Philadelphia Flyers only had four shots to their name. Their on-ice skaters came to the bench and Tortorella didn’t give them any instruction as they stood near their bench. You would think the Flyers were losing their grip on a game going away from them. But they were only down 2-1.
Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark had barely been tested. Yet he still had the one goal against and the benefit of the doubt. About 10 minutes after the timeout had been taken, Ullmark made a point-blank pad save from in close as the Senators were on the penalty kill.
The save was his best of the night. Very few will remember it after how the game ended.
The Senators lost 5-4 in overtime to the Flyers in a game that should have been theirs. The score, shots, and advanced statistics were in their favour for most of the night. But they let the Flyers hang around. Even worse, Ullmark’s performance wasn’t good enough after allowing five goals on 14 shots. And he knows it.
“I think what’s the takeaway from this is about closing games,” Ullmark said. “Didn’t really have the margins on our side, I would say. Some fortunate bounces. Some unfortunate goals I’d like to have back. I thought we battled through and I think that we deserved two points tonight.
“I’ll be pissed off about this one. This really stinks because I felt that we really deserved this one (with) the way that we played. Especially when you let in this many goals, and it’s been happening too much this season as well where I just get frustrated afterwards now because it happened once again.”
Perhaps none worse than the game-winning goal from Flyers rookie-of-the-year candidate Matvei Michkov, who somehow beat Ullmark from the goal line as the netminder leaned on his left post. After allowing the goal, Ullmark whacked his stick off his right post in frustration.
MATVEI MICHKOV OT WINNER‼️
His 13th point in his 15th game gives the @NHLFlyers the win in @Energizer overtime! pic.twitter.com/bVM2NduTx1
— NHL (@NHL) November 15, 2024
“Standard procedure going down there, thinking that it’s closed off and for some reason it goes in,” Ullmark said. “Can’t tell you about how it goes in, or why it goes in. Probably going to do that 100 more times, I would do exactly the same thing. I was just as shocked as everybody else in the building when it actually went in.”
Two days ago, Ullmark was solid in a dominant 3-0 victory over the Maple Leafs that showed what they can be at their best. Thursday’s game should’ve been another example, and the Sens’ first three-game winning streak of the year. Instead, it’s the third time Ullmark has allowed five goals in a loss this year.
“Not his best,” Senators head coach Travis Green said.
But while Ullmark does deserve criticism for a bad performance, the Senators could’ve — and should’ve — buried the Flyers. And it looked like they would. Thomas Chabot, Josh Norris and Ridly Greig each had multi-point games. Drake Batherson scored on the power play. Minutes after Philadelphia opened the scoring in the Thursday night game, Brady Tkachuk responded. The Sens also kept the Flyers from littering the shot counter throughout the game.
But it still wasn’t enough to win.
“You hate to lose a game like that. We dominated a lot of areas most of the night,” Green said. “Tough game for Linus as far as (getting) seven shots in 35 minutes total. Those are not easy games as well for the goalie.”
Chabot, meanwhile, isn’t worried about the $33 million man in goal.
“It’s one of those nights that happens to all of us,” Chabot said. “There’s no pointing fingers and there never will be in here. It’s us as a group. We could have done some better plays, not give them the chances, and we’re all aware of that. It’s hockey. The good (thing) is you get a chance to go right back at it 48 hours later. And you know what? We’re going to focus on those things.”
The Senators are already moving on from the loss. Ullmark will too. He’ll rely on some much-needed family time at home and a short-term memory. Specifically, having “the mind of a goldfish,” before returning to practice Friday and playing the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. The Sens could use that short-term memory, too. They haven’t beaten the Canes in Carolina since December 2021 and have only beaten them once in their last six games.
Whether against the Canes or the Edmonton Oilers next week at home, it’s on Ullmark to get himself back on track.
“It’s a new day tomorrow,” Ullmark said. “Onwards to the next one and then try to replicate the good things that we did, because we did a lot of good things tonight as well.”
(Photo of Linus Ullmark: Richard A. Whittaker / Icon Sportswire)
