Ullmark finds another level for Bruins in stirring win in Calgary

Any other night, Dmitry Orlov is the story for the Bruins in their 4-3 overtime win at the Calgary Flames. 

The defenseman notched his first two goals with Boston in the first before deftly hitting Pavel Zacha on the tape at the far post for the late equalizer to send the game to overtime. 

But Tuesday was no other night for Boston. Severely outplayed by the Flames, the Bruins somehow came away with a win when Charlie McAvoy scored with 4.3 seconds to go in the extra frame.

Most of why Boston even made it to overtime lies with Linus Ullmark.

“Oh, absolutely [Ullmark stole this game],” Jim Montgomery said postgame on the NESN broadcast. 

Ullmark turned aside 54 shots in Tuesday’s miraculous win at the Saddledome, setting a new career-high and single-game franchise record. He obliterated his previous season-high of 38 saves, which he matched at the end of the second period, and his prior career-high (44) was in the rearview mirror midway through the third. 

“What should I say? It was a lot of fun,” Ullmark said in the postgame walk-off interview on NESN. “You never want to get up to 60 shots in the game, but you know what? I’ll take it. Get two points, and we’re going to go home with a four-game road trip win streak. Love it.”

Although it’s a marginal change, it’s not often a goaltender allows three goals in a game and improves his save percentage as Ullmark went from .938 to .939.

Boston very much looked the part of a team on the second half of a back-to-back at the end of a four-game road trip through a different time zone. The Bruins managed to land just 20 shots of their own on Flames netminders, including a mere nine through the opening 40 minutes of regulation.

Ullmark was sharp early and often. He denied Jonathan Huberdeau when he broke in alone in the first period, staying with the slick winger after a stutter step, and he was square to Mikael Backlund’s shorthanded breakaway in the second period, making a blocker save look easy to protect a one-goal lead.

The Flames continued to pepper Boston before finally breaking through for two goals in short order in the third. Dillon Dube got lost in coverage for an uncontested look on Ullmark in front before Huberdeau’s cross-crease feed banked in off a Bruin skate to give Calgary a 3-2 advantage. Ullmark never wavered, though, and the Bruins found the tying goal when Orlov connected with Zacha less than five minutes after Huberdeau’s tally. 

“There’s an incredible belief on our bench that we’re always going to find a way,” Montgomery said. “There’s no panic. We knew we were being drastically outplayed, and our goaltender gave us an opportunity.”

In overtime, Ullmark went toe-to-toe with Jacob Markstrom, saving all six shots he faced. The 29-year-old Swede denied Nazem Kadri on the doorstep before turning away Grade-A chances for Tyler Toffoli and Backlund in the closing moments before the rush went the other way en route to McAvoy’s winner. 

Boston had given up an average of 8.58 high-danger chances on the season at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, but the Flames generated 18 on Tuesday. Ullmark denied 18 of 19 high-danger chances he faced in all situations, including 14 of 15 at 5-on-5. He also bested his expected goals-against of 5.57 in all situations (4.02 at 5-on-5). 

In all, Calgary out-attempted Boston 70-26 on the night at 5-on-5, having its way with a tired Bruins team. Through all of it, Ullmark was there, preserving Boston's leads before later keeping them in it to sweep the four-game road trip and pick up their eighth straight win. 

“Man, he’s just a competitor,” McAvoy told reporters. “What a game by him. The shots were obviously a lot to a little there. You know, he gave us a chance to ultimately get a win at the end. … Running out of stuff to say about him. It’s just amazing. I feel very fortunate to play in front of him.”

As if Ullmark wasn’t already the consensus favorite for the Vezina Trophy, his performance in Calgary surely helps cement his case. Entering Tuesday’s game, he led the league in goals-saved above expected with 33.3, according to MoneyPuck.com, and he was dusting the field with .923 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes. The next highest is the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin with .720.

“If people didn’t know how good he was, watch this tape, and they’ll know why he’s having such a fantastic year,” Montgomery said. “He’s been the best goalie in the NHL this year.”

He also added a goal to his resume (the first for any Bruins goaltender) in his previous start against Vancouver when he launched the puck down the length of the rink with three Canucks forecheckers bearing down on him. 

Ho-hum.