According to TSN Ottawa, Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (back) will not serve as the backup on Thursday evening when the Senators face the Capitals. The team expressed optimism that Ullmark could return during their current homestand but will need at least another day to recover.

Ullmark's next chance to suit up will be at home against Minnesota on Saturday.

Ullmark has been out of Ottawa's lineup since Dec. 22 when he left a game after one period of play in Edmonton with back tightness. It sounded precautionary at the time but turned out to be reasonably serious. This is Ullmark's second stint on the injury list. He missed a couple of weeks of action back in mid-October.

One thing to watch: It’s been an awakening for The Great 8, 39-year-old Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, who has 22 goals in 34 games (he scored 31 all of last season). With 875 career goals, he’s now just 19 behind the NHL all-time record set by Wayne Gretzky.

In today’s Ottawa Senators News & Rumours report, I’ll take a look at two of the Senators top goalies. One is current, and the other is from the past.

Poised to return soon

Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark has been sidelined for over a month with a back injury. He left a game against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 22 and has been out of action ever since.

After missing almost a month of action with a back injury, goalie Linus Ullmark looks like he'll be ready to return to the lineup soon. At that point, with Anton Forsberg and Leevi Merilainen, the Senators will have three available goalies. This just in: there isn't room on the bench for two backup goalies.

Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins will be out through, at least, early March after suffering a knee injury in the team’s Saturday win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Head coach Travis Green says that Jensen won't play because of an undisclosed injury, while Travis Hamonic will make his return.

The most notable change is the addition of Travis Green as Head Coach and Mike Yeo and Nolan Baumgartner as his assistants, along with the retention of Daniel Alfredsson. The Sens have been no stranger to the injury bug this year and the coaches have kept the group rolling.

Claude Giroux scored the game-winner and broke a long personal scoring drought as the Senators defeated the Utah Hockey Club 3-1.