{"id":489921,"date":"2026-04-29T07:55:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T11:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=489921"},"modified":"2026-04-28T20:01:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T00:01:25","slug":"2025-26-season-review-series-ottawa-senators-goaltending-playoffs-future-discussion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/04\/29\/2025-26-season-review-series-ottawa-senators-goaltending-playoffs-future-discussion\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2025-26 NHL Ottawa Senators Complete Season Goaltending Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Ottawa Senators started their 2025-26 NHL regular season by being plagued by historically bad team goaltending. Linus Ullmark<\/a> was overworked, the youngster Leevi Merilainen<\/a> was misutilized, and general manager Steve Staios and team ultimately waited too long to address it. Maybe it was in the nick of time as they did qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, in the end. In any case, as we begin our review of the Ottawa Senators 2025-26<\/a>, we will start with the goaltending. So, let’s discuss what happened and where to go from here.<\/p>\n

The 2025-26 Ottawa Senators Goaltending Review from Start to Finish<\/h2>\n

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Credit Image: \u00a9 Dirk Shadd\/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire<\/span><\/p>\n

We will note, we did have a similar discussion on this topic, but that was more specific to just Linus Ullmark<\/a>, and his regular season numbers. This story is the whole picture. However, we went into a little more depth on the impact of the dip in league-wide save percentage in that one. This one touches on it, but not quite to the statistical impact. This is more on the story of the Sens season, as a whole.<\/p>\n

The Bigger Picture On Goaltending<\/h3>\n

The goaltending did struggle, and we are here to bring you some stats. However, before we get into the exact numbers, we must keep something in mind. We must keep in mind that the NHL saw a substantial shift in save percentages, as a whole.<\/p>\n

The NHL had a league-wide save percentage of .896 this season. The last two years it was .900 and .903, respectively. So, it has been on a rather steady decline. That is down significantly from the NHL’s best ever value of .915, only back to 2015-16. Moreover, the NHL didn’t see a save percentage this low since it was .895, way back in 1993-94. In any sense, we must consider some shift in our perception of the significance of previously conceived notions of baseline levels for save percentage, but our challenge is to understand the why<\/em> behind this change. Furthermore, there is definitely a direct correlation relevant to the Sens game, and importantly, results.<\/p>\n

Okay, so Everyone is Down<\/h3>\n

Now, we must mention that this year there is a specific reason for the drop in save percentages. Due to the location tracking technology in the game today, shots on goal as a statistic, has undergone some scrutiny. We have much more accurate information when it comes to saves being generated from a shot that would have otherwise gone in. However, it is this one statistic that, relevant to goaltenders that has seen a systematic shift, is save percentage. In other words, when previously we would’ve had a .905 save percentage, or just above average perhaps, now we are seeing save percentages more like .900 or below. So, do keep that in mind when considering some of the numbers we dig into. You can kind of understand with the league-wide rankings we tend to provide to supplement the raw numbers.<\/p>\n

The League-Wide Effect Compounded by the Sens Stingy Defence<\/h3>\n

The other side of the coin, is that the Sens played terrific defensive structure. They were great at mitigating shots against, and that would invariably hurt goaltenders’ statistics. That’s not to mention the fact that it hurts the goalies rhythm when they aren’t seeing a lot of action. Furthermore, that discussion can go within games and also, when you physically get less playing time throughout stretches of the season. That is one reason the young goalies of years gone by have struggled in Ottawa, most notably from Leevi Merilainen’s numbers this year. Regardless, let’s get into it, the stats<\/em> that is.<\/p>\n

We took our splits at December 15th and goalies with a minimum of seven games played. Up until that point in the season, there were 68 qualifying goalies, and Merilainen and Linus Ullmark were both eligible. In eight games, Merilainen was 11th worst with an .877 save percentage. Interestingly enough, that was only slightly worst than Ullmark’s .879 save percentage, through 24 games. That had him 15th worst of the 68 goalies.<\/p>\n

However, you must keep in mind that Ottawa allowed the third fewest shots per game against at that time (24.4). You can kind of see it in Ullmark’s goals-against average, as of December 15th. Moreover, he wasn’t as bad as his save percentage with his 3.00 goals-against average, good for 45th in the league. Still not great, but on a team that expects to score some goals, conceivably, a more manageable mark.<\/p>\n

The Switch was Flipped<\/h3>\n

Okay, so the team struggled a lot to that point. That was just prior to the time that Ullmark ended up stepping away from the club on a leave of absence<\/a>. When he did, that thrust Merilainen into the starter’s role. Unfortunately, that was something he was ill-prepared to do. After Merilainen’s rough stretch, Staios pulled the trigger on a move. On January 12th, he signed 37-year-old veteran James Reimer<\/a> to a contract to play out the 2025-26 campaign. As inconsequential as a backup goalie signing might seem big picture, this really turned things around for Ottawa.<\/p>\n

As the season went along, it was not without its hiccups. Many Sen fans recall when Ullmark was too tired to play a Saturday game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. That was followed by a tough 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. In contrast, Ullmark quickly flipped the switch, and showed, like any good goalie, he has a short memory. He went on to win five of his final six games, helping the Senators secure a Stanley Cup Playoff position.<\/p>\n

It’s All About Where You Finish<\/h3>\n

If we go back to that December 15th cut-off in the regular season, to the end of the season this time, Ullmark started to flex his star quality. If we filter on goalies with 20 games played this time, he was actually tied (Jakub Dobes) for third with a .760 point percentage. As a note, 43 goalies qualified with the 20 game criteria in that time span. Furthermore, for Ullmark he had a .903 save percentage in that time, that was good for 14th best. But again, with Ottawa’s ability to prevent shots and their ability to score, that ranking can be slightly misleading.<\/p>\n

Of course, it wasn’t all roses, big picture. Looking at the full season this time, and filtered on goalies with 25 games played, Ullmark did not have a great high-danger save percentage<\/a>. There were 59 qualifying goalies, and Ullmark finished 38th at .755. He was well off the pace of the league-leader, and Vezina Trophy-candidate, Ilya Sorokin<\/a> at .861. In contrast, we must remember that Ottawa did not allow many high-danger chances against. Ottawa finished second-best in the regular season, with just 124 high-danger shots allowed. The New York Islanders, on the other hand, finished 30th with 189 allowed. That ended up costing former head coach Patrick Roy his job.<\/p>\n

Playoffs, Yeah, We Get to Talk Playoffs<\/h3>\n

The final stamp of approval for Ullmark, was his 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff performance versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite losing four-straight games, he did a fine job. He shutdown 124 of 133 total shots, good for an excellent .932 save percentage. For a goalie with a career .896 save percentage in the playoffs, that was a bode of confidence.<\/p>\n

That was the message from Ullmark at his end of season media availability. The way he played in the playoffs was a great send off. Ullmark described it as, “The first real time in this whole season, where I felt like myself again<\/em>.” For Sen fans, and the organization as a whole, that is terrific messaging.<\/p>\n

The Sens can go into the offseason knowing their goaltending is in a good place. Mostly led by a former Vezina Trophy-winning starter, but also, the blueprint for success is there. The veteran James Reimer never provided flashy stats, but having someone with poise helped to shut things down. Sens management can re-evaluate their stance on organizational pieces like Leevi Merilainen and Mads Sogaard. Both these goalies will be improved with another year of experience. They also recently signed Lukas Beckman<\/a> to his entry-level contract to further bolster their organizational depth chart. However, they know to have a backup plan, and to act on it, before the wheels fall off next year.<\/p>\n