BOSTON — Linus Ullmark came into Saturday night wanting to get two points over his former team.
Not only did he do that in the Ottawa Senators’ 3-2 overtime win over the Boston Bruins, he was greeted with loud cheers from the TD Garden crowd.
Saturday marked the first time the goalie returned to his former building since being traded to the Senators in June. Ulmark spent three seasons in Boston and won a Vezina for his efforts during the 2022-23 season in which he went 40-6-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average, .938 save percentage and two shutouts.
The TD Garden crowd was kind to Ullmark with loud cheers as he led the Senators onto the ice for warmups. The Bruins also had a tribute video that played during the first TV timeout that included highlights from Ullmark’s three seasons with the Bruins.
“It was certainly a lot. Not gonna lie, it was a lot,” Ullmark said after the game. “Especially during warmups. I got goosebumps when I was going out there and hearing the crowd again. … It meant a lot. It’s not something that I’m striving for, obviously, but it’s something that you can look back and say, yeah, you’ve made enough of an impact in this community and this organization as well for them to show gratitude towards you as a player.”
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
Ullmark didn’t face a shot in the third period as the Bruins struggled to put pucks on net. But he came up huge for the Senators 15 seconds into overtime when he stopped Elias Lindholm. The save ultimately led to Ottawa’s game-winning goal.
“Getting the win in this barn is not easy,” Ullmark said. “It’s something that you dream of, especially coming in here as an opponent. You really wanna bring your A-game. We haven’t really done that lately.”
Ullmark also reunited with his former teammate Jeremy Swayman. The two met at the benches during warmups for a hug and a quick picture.
“It was a lot of fun,” Ullmark said. “It’s something that I’ll look back at and bring with me forever, so to speak, and (I) just had to enjoy the moment.”
