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Bruins’ Linus Ullmark doesn’t disclose injury he was playing through during the Stanley Cup Playoffs
"Looking at it now, it's just gonna be one of those things that's gonna haunt me. It is.”
After a lackluster showing during the Bruins’ first-round exit against the Panthers, Linus Ullmark acknowledged that he was not at 100 percent following a dominant regular season.
However, Ullmark did admit that at this time of the season, “you can be hurt or you can be injured.” The 29-year-old netminder said he was the former, adding that whatever was ailing him wasn’t going to be enough to keep him out of the lineup.
Ullmark entered the postseason as the Vezina Trophy frontrunner, posting a 40-6-0 record with a .938 save percentage.
But whether it be injury, fatigue, or regression in play, Ullmark struggled in his role as the anchor of Boston’s defense during postseason play. Ullmark went 3-3 during the playoffs, posting an .896 save percentage. He relinquished 10 total goals during losses in Games 5 and 6 — leading Jim Montgomery to slot in Jeremy Swayman for Game 7.
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On Monday, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes tweeted that Ullmark was dealing with a “debilitating and painful” injury during the playoffs, limiting his effectiveness between the pipes.
During the team’s break-up day on Tuesday at Warrior Ice Arena, Ullmark opted not to divulge the specific injury that he was dealing with.
“With respect of everybody around, especially me and everybody … I just decide not to clarify that whole thing,” Ullmark said of his injury.
He added that he’s unclear if he will need surgery this summer, as both he and the rest of his teammates will conduct their end-of-season physicals later on Tuesday.
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Ullmark might stress that he was “hurt,” rather than “injured” during Boston’s first-round defeat. But if the veteran goalie was laboring with a severe ailment that will require offseason surgery, it stands as a puzzling decision by Boston’s coaching staff to not insert Swayman into the lineup ahead of a decisive Game 7.
Even though Ullmark stressed that the could have gutted through whatever was bothering him — even in a Game 7 — it was clear that his play on the ice fell well short of his own high standards, and the level that Boston needed in order to orchestrate a long playoff run.
“Here’s the deal: we all go through things in life,” Ullmark said. “We all go through things when it comes to playoff time. We all battle our different things, whether it’s mentally or physically, we all have our stuff. We all want to be out there and help the team out to the best of our capabilities.
“Yeah, it’s pretty evident that I didn’t play the way that I wanted to. I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be — unfortunately, at the worst time possible. And that’s something that I have to live with.”
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Ullmark is still under contract through 2025. But this Bruins dressing room will likely look very different moving forward.
Beyond the uncertainty of both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s futures, the Bruins only have minimal cap space to re-sign other free agents like Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, and others. Ullmark’s goalie partner in Jeremy Swayman is also due a nice pay raise as a restricted free agent.
“This is a special group,” Ullmark said. “It’s always gonna be one of those things where you care so deeply for each other, and you just want the best for each other, and you just want to be there for support and — how should I say it? — be able to help and pull the rope the right way. Looking at it now, it’s just gonna be one of those things that’s gonna haunt me. It is.”
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