OTTAWA (AP) — Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, Senators general manager Steve Staios said in a statement on Sunday.
Ullmark has a 14-8-5 record this season with a .881 save percentage and 2.95 goals-against average. He was pulled in the second period of the Senators’ 7-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday after allowing four goals on 14 shots.
Ullmark, a 32-year-old Swede, joined the Senators in a trade from the Boston Bruins in June 2024. He signed a four-year, $33 million contract extension with Ottawa last October.
Senators backup Leevi Merilainen has a .874 save percentage and 3.43 goals-against average in 10 appearances this season.
Ottawa next plays Monday at home against Columbus.
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Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) stops a shot byBoston Bruins' Charlie McAvoy (73) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/CJ Gunther)
Buffalo Sabres' Jack Quinn (22) falls to the ice as he looks towards the loose puck in front of Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) during first period NHL hockey action in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)
A powerful winter storm was sweeping east from the Plains on Sunday, driven by what meteorologists describe as an intense cyclone that is expected to impact much of the country with a mixture of snow, ice, rain and strong winds.
“Part of the storm system is getting heavy snow, other parts of the storm along the cold front are getting higher winds and much colder temperatures as the front passes," said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service office in College Park, Maryland. "They’re all related to each other — different parts of the country will be receiving different effects from this storm."
Snow and strengthening winds spread Sunday across the Upper Midwest, where the National Weather Service warned of whiteout conditions and possible blizzard conditions that could make travel impossible in some areas. Snowfall totals were expected to exceed a foot across parts of the upper Great Lakes, with up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) possible along the south shore of Lake Superior.
In the South, meteorologists warned of severe thunderstorms expected to signal the arrival of a sharp cold front — sometimes referred to as a “Blue Norther” — bringing a sudden plunge in temperatures and strong north winds that will end days of record warmth around the region.
The snowy holiday season in the Upper Midwest and Northeast comes as springlike warmth continues in much of the nation’s midsection and South, where record high temperatures had Santa sweating in recent days.
The high temperature in Atlanta is forecast to be around 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, continuing a warming trend after climbing to 78 F (about 26 C) to shatter the city’s record high temperature for Christmas Eve, the National Weather Service said. Numerous other record high temperatures were seen across the South and Midwest on the days after Christmas.
But that record heat is quickly coming to an end, forecasters say.
A cold front is expected to bring rain to much of the South late Sunday night into Monday, bringing much colder weather by Tuesday. The abrupt change will drop the low temperature in Atlanta to 25 F (minus 3.9 C) by early Tuesday morning. The colder temperatures in the South are expected to continue through New Year’s Day.
In Dallas, Sunday temperatures in the lower 80s (upper 20s C) could drop down to the mid 40s (single digits Celsius). In Little Rock, high temperatures of around 70 (21 C) on Sunday could drop down to highs in the mid-30s on Monday.
“We’re definitely going back towards a more winter pattern," Oravec said.
Over the next 48 hours, the cyclone is expected to produce heavy snow and blizzard conditions in the Midwest and Great Lakes, freezing rain in New England, thunderstorms across the eastern U.S. and South, and widespread strong winds.
The storm is expected to intensify as it moves east, drawing energy from a sharp clash between frigid air plunging south from Canada and unusually warm air that has lingered across the southern United States, according to the National Weather Service.
It follows thousands of flight delays and cancellations across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions earlier this weekend due to snow, as thousands took to the roads and airports during the busy travel period between Christmas and New Year’s.
On the other side of the country, California was experiencing a fairly dry weekend after powerful storms battered the state with heavy rains, flash flooding and mudslides. At least four people were killed, including a man who was found dead Friday in a partially submerged car near Lancaster, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
Willingham reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Martin reported from Kennesaw, Georgia.
Heavy snow falls along Nicollet Mall Sunday Dec.28, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP)
Devon Jordan, of Brainerd , helps a person start their car durning heavy snow fall on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 in downtown Minneapolis. (Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP)
People cross 7th street in the heavy snow on Sunday Dec. 28, 2025 in downtown Minneapolis. (Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP)
A Christmas mural overlooks fresh snow in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
FILE - An American Airlines plane arrives at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
