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Tuesday 14 February 2023
Bruins’ Ullmark is NHL’s biggest goalie surprise this season

By STEPHEN WHYNO and there that are just fall-
AP Hockey Writer ing into place,” Ullmark
Linus Ullmark moved to the said. “We have a great
Boston area in the summer team, as well, and it goes
of 2021 with his wife, their kind of hand in hand with
two young children and my performance and also
their dogs after signing with with Sway’s performance.
the Bruins. Settling in with his It’s not just a one-man
new team didn’t happen show. It’s a team effort.”
right away. Fresh off sign- The Bruins lead Eastern
ing a $20 million, four-year Conference behind Pas-
contract, Ullmark shared trnak’s 38 goals, captain
the net with rookie Jeremy Patrice Bergeron’s two-
Swayman and then, briefly, way dominance at the
with Tuukka Rask, the orga- age of 37 and the coach-
nization cornerstone who ing of newcomer Jim Mont-
was trying to come back gomery. But Bruce Cassidy,
from hip surgery. Ullmark who was fired after coach-
allowed eight goals in two ing Boston to six playoff
playoff games before los- appearances, called Ull-
ing the starting job to Sway- mark’s emergence “the big
man and went into an off- one” when asked about his
season of change unsure Boston Bruins’ Linus Ullmark (35) and teammates celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins former team’s consistency.
in the NHL Winter Classic hockey game, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, at Fenway Park in Boston.
what his role would be. Associated Press “He finished really well last
Turns out, it’s a starring one year, and he’s carried that
as the best goaltender in the NHL. Ullmark leads the league in wins, save per- centage and goals-against into this year,” Cassidy said.
average, and is one of the “Now you’re creating com-
biggest reasons the Bruins petition with Swayman at
are atop the standings and that position. I think that’s a
on pace for the best regu- great thing for Boston.”
lar season in NHL history. Cassidy, now behind the
Along with fellow All-Stars bench for the Golden
Stuart Skinner and Logan Knights, has had Thompson
Thompson, who respec- on top of his game after
tively have the Edmonton Vegas learned late in the
Oilers and Vegas Golden offseason Robin Lehner
Knights on track to make would be out for the sea-
the playoffs, Ullmark tops son rehabbing from hip sur-
the list of the biggest goalie gery. Thrust into a leading
surprises of the season. role by injuries last season,
“He’s been standing on Thompson won 20 of his first
the head,” Bruins lead- 35 starts this season before
ing scorer and fellow MVP himself getting sidelined
candidate David Pastrnak last week. Before that, the
said. “He’s been playing undrafted late bloomer
unbelievable. It’s just fun earned All-Star honors and
to watch him, honestly, this put himself in the conversa-
year. He’s playing confi- tion for the Calder Trophy
dent. He’s big. He’s very as rookie of the year.
confident in the net, and “There was a lot of times
he’s having a special year.” when I was really close
Ullmark credits being more to just quitting and giving
comfortable in his new sur- up,” Thompson said. “That
roundings and it has shown competitiveness in me nev-
in his play: He already has er went away. That’s the
tied his career high with 26 biggest thing is never stop
victories, his .937 save per- working hard at what you
centage is more than 10 want.”
points higher than the next- Oilers coach Jay Wood-
closest competitor and his croft saw similar tenden-
1.90 GAA would be the cies in Skinner when they
lowest by a goalie with 40 were together in the mi-
or more games since Hall nors last year. Edmonton’s
of Famer Martin Brodeur American Hockey League
in 1997-98. The 29-year-old affiliate in Bakersfield, Cali-
Swede has been thinking a fornia, was desperate for
lot about what changed in a starter one night; Skin-
his game and finds it hard ner rushed to the rink after
to pinpoint. Feeling more travel issues, getting there
“at home” in Boston is one 5 minutes before warmups
piece of many. “I just think and then backstopping a
it’s just small pieces here win.q