Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark took part in his team’s optional skate on Wednesday but will not start against the Buffalo Sabres, according to head coach Travis Green.
Ullmark, 33, has missed the team’s last five games while dealing with a lower-body in jury and the team has gone 2-2-1 in that span.
The 6-foot-4 netminder has been a rock for the the Senators this season, going 7-1-0 and leading the NHL with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage.
Samuel Ersson will continue to start in relief of Ullmark. He is playing in his first campaign with the Senators after being acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the off-season in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
The 27-year-old goalie has a 1-3-1 record this season with a 3.78 GAA and an .886 save percentage.
Ersson played with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, going 14-11-5 with a 3.12 GAA and an .870 save percentage.
Additionally, Green added that his team will be without defenceman Tyler Kleven due to an illness.
Kleven, 24, has two goals and three points in 16 games this season and ranks fifth in Senators’ ice time, averaging 20:14 a night.
The Senators sit fourth in the Atlantic Division heading into Wednesday’s matchup with a 9-6-1 record. This is their first meeting against the defending Atlantic Division champion Sabres this season.