Linus Ullmark Leaves Senators Game Early, Sending Ottawa Back to the Goaltending Desert

The Ottawa Senators finally acquired a legitimate star goaltender, which naturally means the hockey gods had to step in and immediately break him.

Daily Faceoff reported that Linus Ullmark left Wednesday night's game against the Florida Panthers. The Senators still cruised to a 5-1 victory over Florida, but that final score feels like a complete footnote when your franchise netminder bails early.

"Daily Faceoff reported Ullmark exited tonight's game against the Panthers."

Ottawa has spent the last half-decade treating the goalie position like a cursed teaching gig at Hogwarts. Ullmark was supposed to be the guy who finally broke the hex and stabilized the crease.

Instead, the injury concerns are piling up. Ullmark already missed a month and a half earlier with a brutal back injury, and seeing him exit early again is a massive red flag for a roster desperate to build actual momentum.

The immediate betting fallout is going to be a massive headache. Ottawa turns right around to host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night to finish a back-to-back schedule spot.

Oddsmakers are going to have a field day trying to price the Senators if they have to rely on their backup rotation for the foreseeable future. A team that looks like a solid favorite with Ullmark in net suddenly becomes a massive daily question mark on the moneyline without him.

We are still waiting on the official word from the team regarding the severity of this latest exit. For now, Ottawa fans get to celebrate a dominant win over a division rival while aggressively refreshing their timelines for a medical update.

If Ullmark is out for an extended stretch, starting with Saturday's home game against the New York Rangers, the Senators' season trajectory takes an immediate nosedive.