Pittsburgh Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL or NHLPA
Pittsburgh Penguins entered tonight with momentum until one big problem emerged
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Linus Ullmark starts Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and this Ottawa Senators matchup already feels personal.
Daily Faceoff has Ullmark confirmed in goal for Ottawa at Pittsburgh.
Historically, he’s been a problem the Pens cannot solve. He’s 7-0-0 vs Pittsburgh with a 2.32 GAA and a .930 save percentage.
Seven decisions is not a fluke sample anymore, it’s a theme. Every game turns into the same movie, Pittsburgh pushes, and Ullmark swallows the rebounds.
The Penguins come in hot at 28-14-11, with PPG Paints ready for another "keep it rolling" night.
So yeah, I get the joke going around: based on those splits, the Penguins have a 0 percent chance tonight.
Ullmark’s career success vs the Pens usually starts with his posture. He stays tall, tracks through traffic, and turns good looks into harmless whistles.
The annoying part is Pittsburgh can play a solid game and still lose the goalie battle anyway.
Linus Ullmark puts Pittsburgh Penguins fans on edge
If you’re a Penguins fan, you can feel the groan in your group chat the second "Ullmark confirmed" hits your screen.
And no, it’s not literally 0 percent, hockey laughs at math. But the bar is clear: Pittsburgh needs ugly goals, not pretty ones, if they want to break this spell.
That means net-front chaos, second chances, and shots designed for rebounds. Make him move east-west, then crash the paint like it’s May.
It also means the man advantage has to look dangerous right away, because a quiet power play just lets Ullmark settle into the night.
Ottawa has been scoring lately, too, which makes a "one mistake and you’re cooked" kind of game feel very real.
The only way out is to get the first one, and keep stacking pressure until the numbers finally blink.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Starting goalie announced as Penguins morning skate delivers several injury updates
Starting goalie announced as Penguins morning skate delivers several injury updates
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 2|102 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins entered tonight with momentum until one big problem emerged Do the Pittsburgh Penguins need a dirty goal to beat Linus Ullmark? | ||
| Yes | 69 | 67.6 % |
| No | 33 | 32.4 % |
| List of polls | ||