Ullmark makes history with goal
The new-look Bruins made an imperfect debut, but the B’s were fortunate enough to have to Linus Ullmark — and not just to stop the puck.
Ullmark made several huge saves down the stretch to protect a slim 2-1 lead in the third period and then the netminder sealed the game with an empty net goal from his own end to seal a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena, the B’s sixth straight win.
It was Ullmark’s 30th win of the season and one that, not surprisingly, produced the most enthusiastic hug with goalie mate Jeremy Swayman, who tossed his ball cap and leapt into Ullmark’s arms. It was the first time a Bruins goalie has scored in goal in club history and he’s the ninth goalie in NHL history to do it.
Swayman and Ullmark had just missed on previous chances.
“I just had to take my chance there. We’d been pretty close there. Me and Sway have been talking about getting one. I don’t know really what to say. I’m ecstatic and I’m trying to calm down to do this (interview),” said Ullmark. “It’s one of the dreams that I always had, to score a goal. I had the opportunity. I tried it at the Winter Classic and I didn’t really make it. Everything came together with how it went.”
In all honesty, it was a pretty big gamble. The Cancuks had dumped the puck in and Ullmark came out to play it just below the left circle. With his own net wide open and three Canucks bearing down on him with their arms raised like they were rushing the quarterback, Ullmark lifted a perfect shot over the attackers and hit the center of the net.
“I thought it went in my own net first, actually,” said Ullmark. “I didn’t see it. As soon as I shot it, I saw three guys jumping towards me and I had no idea where it was. I didn’t hear anything, I didn’t see anything … then I see it going toward the net and the rest is history.”
Ullmark was immediately mobbed by his teammates, who urged him to make the customary goal scorer’s skate to the bench and go down the row for the fist bumps.
“I appreciate that gesture,” said Ullmark.
The game was closer than it should have been.
The B’s were not only fully healthy for the first time since Jan. 2 with the return of Tomas Nosek, newcomers Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway were
playing their first games as Bruins.
And the B’s dominated the first period.
The B’s pelted 21-year-old Canuck goalie Arturs Silovs with 20 shots in the first period and took a 2-0 lead with a pair of late goals.
It was the fourth line that Hathaway was skating on that drew the first power play when Guillaume Brisebois elbowed Nick Foligno in the corner. After the first PP unit came up empty despite a couple of good chances, the second unit cashed in when Hampus Lindholm hammered his seventh of the year through a screen past Silovs at 17:08.
Then the B’s took control of the game when Brad Marchand scored his 19th. Patrice Bergeron won a fceoff and then mushed the up along the boards to Jake DeBrusk, who in turn banked the puck up to Marchand on the right wing. In a one-on-one against defenseman Kyle
Burroughs, Marchand cut to the inside on his forehand and beat Silovs with a wrister just inside the right post.
But as well as the B’s played in the first period, they could not put away the Canucks in the second period in which both teams had a couple of power play opportunities that went for naught. Pavel Zacha came the closest to scoring on the the PP for the B’s when he whistled a one-timer off the post.
“Our first period was excellent and then I thought our game management after that wasn’t up to our usual level,” coach Jim Montgomery told NESN.
Allowed to stick around, the Canucks got back in the game with 12:36 left in the third period. Marchand hit the post off the rush and that sent sent the Canucks off on their own rush. When the puck went into the left corner, Orlov chased Conor Garland there but Garland was able to get the puck
out front to Brock Boeser, who had beaten Derke Forbort to the spot and he redirected the puck past Ullmark.
That’s as close as they would get, however. Ullmark made sure of it.
“We had a really good first, but after that he had to keep us in it Then he decided to take matters into his own hands at the end,” said Marchand. “Incredible to see. Obviously, it’s not something that happens often. A lot of fun to see and just adds to a phenomenal year for him.”
B’s add Bowers
The B’s made a couple of transactions prior to the game. They obtained former Boston University Terrier Shane Bowers from the Colorado Avalanche for Providence goalie Keith Kinkaid, who had been part of a three-man goalie rotation with the P-Bruins with prospects Brandon Bussi and Kyle Keyser. Bowers, the 28th overall pick of Ottawa in 2017, played just one NHL game this year with the Avs. The left shot centerman had his best pro season in 2019-20 when he had 10-17-27 totals in 43 games for the Colorado’s AHL franchise.
Also, the B’s placed Vinni Lettieri on waivers. He’s been on the B’s roster since suffering a lower body injury in practice on Jan. 31 after being called up from Providence.