2022-2023 is the year of Linus Ullmark
Thursday night left a lot of things for Boston Bruins fans to celebrate about. They beat the Calgary Flames 3-1, Charlie McAvoy made his return with a goal, and David Pastrnak kept doing the score goal thing as he continues to prove he is worth a big salary.
Another thing that is worth being excited about is once again the play of Linus Ullmark. Already getting the majority of the playing time, he stepped into an even bigger role when Jeremy Swayman went down went down and has responded by still being elite in the goalie crease.
Thursday night saw Ullmark stop another 31 shots that were directed at him, which was good for a .969 save percentage, and he was perfect after allowing the first goal of the game 4:43 into the opening frame. He got his 10th win of the season to improve his record to 10-1-0 in 11 starts.
Ullmark’s 10 wins in 11 starts tied the Bruins record for the fewest games needed to hit 10 wins, pulling even with Tuukka Rask, Tim Thomas, Gerry Cheevers, and Ross Brooks. Additionally, his 36 wins in his first 50 starts in a Bruins uniform makes him second in team history for most wins in 50 starts, trailing Brooks who had 37 in his first 50.
Per NHL Stats, Linus Ullmark (10-1-0) tied the #NHLBruins record for fewest decisions to hit the 10-win mark, matching Tuukka Rask, Tim Thomas, Gerry Cheevers & Ross Brooks.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 11, 2022
Ullmark ranks second in team history for most wins (36) through 50 starts with Boston behind Brooks (37). pic.twitter.com/GS7p3wT8w2
In his last four starts since the Penguins game, Ullmark has posted save percentages of .900, .929, .963, and .969, allowing two goals or less in all of those starts. He’s 6-0-0 on the TD Garden Ice this season, posting a .947 save percentage and 1.63 GAA. For the whole season, Ullmark’s 1.95 GAA ranks second among NHL goalies, and his .936 save percentage is good for a fourth place ranking.
Overall, Ullmark has been stellar and a key cog to the Bruins incredible start to the season, as they improved to 12-2-0 in the first 14 games of action. The Bruins have a back to back this weekend, playing the Sabres on Saturday and the Canucks on Sunday, so look for Ullmark and Keith Kinkaid to split both games on the weekend.