4 Nations Update: Ottawa Senators Goalie Linus Ullmark Won't Start Game One For Sweden

For all the discussion about whether Ottawa Senators star goalie Linus Ullmark should participate in the NHL’s Four Nations event or not, Team Sweden announced today that Ullmark will not be their starter for Game 1 against Canada on Wednesday night.

Instead, the Swedes will go with former Senator Filip Gustavsson, the starting goalie for the Minnesota Wild.

Coach Sam Hallam confirms Filip Gustavsson as Sweden’s starter vs Canada

Gustavsson was first off the ice, but wouldn’t give it away earlier this morning. “We’ll see what happens after my nap.”

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 12, 2025

Looking at things objectively, going with Gustavsson makes perfect sense. The two goalies’ NHL numbers this season are comparable, but Gustavsson has the advantage of being in mid-season form, while Ullmark is still catching up after missing a month and a half with a back injury.

As a result, he’s only played two games since Christmas and Gustavsson has played in 14 games during that stretch. Sweden’s third option, Samuel Ersson, has also been playing consistently, with 14 games for the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Senators did their best to get Ullmark up to speed in their final game before the break, allowing 47 shots in a 5-1 road loss to the Florida Panthers.

Given the way the Four Nations schedule is set up, with just three round-robin games before a one-game final, teams are unlikely to switch up their goaltending after a victory. If the Swedes take down an uber-talented Canadian side in front of a roaring Canadian crowd on Wednesday, it would be ridiculous for them to tinker with anything.

That said, Sweden coach Sam Hallam didn’t rule it out.

On the other hand, given how short the tournament is, teams cannot afford the three point swing of a regulation loss. So it’s easy to imagine that the moment things start to go sideways, hooks will be quick and leashes will be short.

Jordan Binnington will draw the start for Canada, whose goaltending has also been a source of debate. No one – not Binnington, not Adin Hill, nor their third option, Sam Montembault, have an NHL save percentage this season above .900.

But, then again, none of them has had the luxury of playing behind a team like this:

This article is from The Hockey News-Ottawa. For more Ottawa Senators coverage, check out THN.com/Ottawa or join the Senators Roundtable by leaving a comment below.