Linus Ullmark’s record-setting night sparks Bruins’ improbable win over Flames
Linus Ullmark set a new Bruins regular-season record with 54 saves on Monday night.
The Boston Bruins had no business leaving the ice at Scotiabank Saddledome with a win on Tuesday night.
Frankly, they’d consider themselves fortunate with just a single point gained in the standings.
That’s not hyperbole, nor is it a statement centered around one disastrous D-zone miscue or lapse in O-zone execution.
All one needs to do is look over the final box score to glean at just how tilted the ice was in favor of the Flames in their home barn.
The Bruins, skating in their third game in four nights, took to the frozen sheet with drained legs and weary lungs. And a desperate Flames team engulfed them right from the opening puck drop.
By the time the dust settled, the Bruins were outshot, 57-20. In just 46:05 of 5v5 reps, the Flames attempted 70 shots. Boston? Just 26 total attempts.
The bad news?
In a season where little has gone wrong for Jim Montgomery’s club, Tuesday marked the largest shot differential against Boston in franchise history at -37. The previous record of -36 took place 58 years ago (Jan. 3, 1965).
The good news?
Those lopsided shot totals meant little in the grand scheme of things, not when Linus Ullmark was rewriting his own chapter in the record books.
On a night where the Bruins needed all the help they could get to gut out two points, Ullmark stood tall between the pipes, recording a career-high 54 saves in Boston’s dramatic 4-3 overtime victory over Calgary.
The current Vezina Trophy frontrunner, who shattered his previous career-high of 44 stops in a single contest, set a new B’s regular-season record for most saves in a contest. The only other Bruin netminder to record 50+ saves in a regular-season tilt was Tim Thomas back on March 1, 2007.
“What should I say?” Ullmark said postgame on Tuesday. “It was a lot of fun. You never really want to get up to almost 60 shots in the game, but I’ll take it. We got two points and we’ll go home with a four-game road trip win streak. Love it.”
It’s tough to ignore just how lofty Ullmark’s baseline stats are. His 1.88 goals-against average and .938 save percentage both lead the NHL. He boasts a record of 31-4-1.
Still, given both the stout defensive structure in front of him and the abundance of talent littered across Boston’s record-setting roster, it feels as though Ullmark’s role in this team’s success hasn’t been fully recognized.
But a performance like Tuesday validates what has been a recurring trend all season.
No team is perfect, especially over a grueling 82-game season. But even when Boston’s skaters are putting forth their “B” or “C” games, Ullmark has routinely bailed this group out of trouble.
“Absolutely, he did,” Montgomery said postgame on NESN when asked if Ullmark stole two points on Tuesday. “If people didn’t know how good he was, they’ll watch this tape and know why he’s having such a fantastic year. He’s been the best goalie in the NHL this year.”
Shot volume isn’t always the true determinant in terms of the quality of chances generated against an opponent. But Calgary’s overwhelming edge in puck possession and volleys on net was rooted in an abundance of high-danger scoring looks against a lax B’s defense.
In total, the Flames generated 19 high-danger scoring chances against Ullmark on Tuesday — a stark dip from Boston’s stingy defensive showing (13.2 high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes this season).
But despite the slew of tips, rebounds and quality looks from the slot, Ullmark turned aside 18 of those 19 high-danger chances in Tuesday’s win.
Even after the game carried over into overtime, Ullmark stopped all six shots that came his way in the extra frame, keeping Boston in it before Charlie McAvoy ended things with just four seconds left on the clock.
It’s been an improbable season so far for Ullmark, who has elevated his game from that of a dependable starter to arguably the top netminder in the league.
His highlight-reel goal on Saturday against Vancouver (the first ever by a Bruins goalie) might have been the icing on the cake.
But in a season where just about every Bruins player has pulled on the rope in some capacity, Tuesday’s record-setting performance should remove all doubt that Ullmark has arrived as one of the game’s top goalies.
In fact, he might be getting better as the calendar flips closer and closer to the postseason.
“We just — there’s an incredible belief on out bench that we’re always going to find a way,” Montgomery said. “There’s no panic. We knew we were being drastically outplayed, but our goaltender gave us an opportunity. Calgary was dominating us, but they gave us an opportunity and we took advantage of it.”
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