According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, the Buffalo Sabres have sent goaltender Linus Ullmark back to Rochester of the AHL. Anders Nilsson will start tonight in net.
Ullmark was recalled this week because Robin Lehner was ill and unable to play, but will head back down to start in the AHL. The 23-year old was off to a great start with the Americans this season, holding a 3-1 record with a .926 save percentage.
While goaltenders tend to take a while to develop, it seems like Ullmark is close to being ready for an NHL job already. In starting 20 games for the Sabres last year after Lehner went down, he showed that at least on a part-time basis he can handle the rigors of an NHL schedule and perform at a capable level. Though the Sabres have discussed committing long-term to Lehner and believe he’s an above-average NHL starter, the fact that Ullmark isn’t far off should excite Sabres fans.