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Linus Ullmark is dealing with a muscle strain that has prevented him from remaining in the Ottawa Senators' lineup. The star goalkeeper was signed to a lucrative extension over the offseason after the Sens traded for him, but he's already dealing with an injury just a few games into the regular season.
However, head coach Travis Green doesn't anticipate Ullmark being out long. He said via Ottawa Citizen:
“Linus is dealing with a strain. I don’t expect it will be too long."
He also added that he's unsure of his status for Thursday's contest, noting that they'd know more as the week went on. Before the game on Monday, which Ullmark missed, Green also said:
“Linus was stiff (Sunday). We don’t feel right playing him. We want to check him out further with our doctors and we want to err on the side of caution.”
Anton Forsberg has been tabbed to replace Ullmark during his absence, though the reserve goalie got benched against the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week after giving up three goals on just nine shots.
The Senators won that game 8-7, but it's clear there was not much defense in goal and that the team needs Ullmark to return to the lineup as soon as possible. Ullmark allowed one goal in the season-opening win against the defending champion Florida Panthers.
Senators coach praises team for win amid Linus Ullmark absence
Even though Linus Ullmark was out and the goalies behind him allowed seven goals, the Ottawa Senators relied on a terrific offense to win 8-7. That's not a common score in the NHL, but it's one that head coach Travis Green will take.
He praised his team for their performance without Ullmark via TSN:
"We had three pucks that bounced in off of our own guys, probably a couple that we'd like to have back. But the resiliency that we showed, we've talked about that a lot since Day 1. Sticking with the process, and I like how we did that tonight."
It is currently unclear which goalie will be tabbed in replacement of Ullmark for Thursday if he still cannot go.
