Linus Ullmark's usual spot at the Senators' morning skate belonged to Samuel Ersson today, and Ottawa is left guessing about tonight's starter.
Ullmark always works the visitors' end for morning skates. Ersson was down there Saturday, while another goalie handled the Ottawa end.
Nothing official yet on who faces the Rangers. But in a sport where routines are sacred, a change like that gets noticed fast.
On paper, the choice is obvious. The 33-year-old Swede owns a .945 save percentage through eight games.
Ersson sits at .835 and is still looking for his first win in five appearances.
He was in net Thursday when the Sharks rolled to a 6-2 win at Canadian Tire Centre.
That loss came one night after Ottawa beat Florida 5-1 in Brady Tkachuk's emotional return.
Rangers bring their road problem into Ottawa tonight
The Rangers are a perfect 6-0-0 at home but just 1-4-1 on the road. They lost 5-4 in Toronto on Thursday.
With Igor Shesterkin out for the season, Dylan Garand has carried them with a .915 save percentage.
Reading a goalie's morning-skate habits is like reading tea leaves at your grandmother's kitchen table. Sometimes it means everything, and sometimes she just moved the cup.
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Ullmark carries an $8,250,000 cap hit. That's starter money, and so far he's earned every dollar of it.
If he's healthy, he plays. Handing the net back to Ersson after Thursday, against a team this shaky away from home, would be the wrong call.
The Senators sit 7-4-0 heading into tonight, then fly out to Vegas and Los Angeles. If Ullmark's changed routine means more than a swap of ends, that trip just got a lot tougher.
Should the Senators start Samuel Ersson tonight against the Rangers?
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