Wild stat sums up Linus Ullmark's record-setting effort vs. Flames originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There's putting your team on your back, and then there's what Linus Ullmark did Tuesday night in Calgary.
The Flames outshot the Bruins 57-20 in Tuesday's game at Scotiabank Saddledome, yet Boston emerged with a 4-3 victory in overtime. The B's can thank Ullmark for that victory: The goaltender set a franchise record with 54 saves on the night, topping Tim Thomas' previous mark of 51 set in 2007.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Ullmark was still well off the NHL record of 70 saves in one game, set by the Quebec Nordiques' Ron Tugnutt in a 1991 game against the Bruins.
But the veteran goaltender made history in another respect; Boston's negative-37 shot differential Tuesday night was its worst ever in a single game since the NHL began tracking those stats, per The Boston Globe's Matt Porter.
That stat makes it even more remarkable that the Bruins pulled off the win, which came in dramatic fashion when Charlie McAvoy potted a pass from Patrice Bergeron with less than five seconds remaining in overtime. The B's are just the third team in NHL history to win a game while taking 20 or fewer shots and allowing 57 or more shots, and the first since 1981.
It's been quite the week for Ullmark, who recorded the first goalie goal in Bruins history Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 29-year-old has a ridiculous 31-4-1 record as a starter this season and leads all NHL goalies in wins, save percentage (.938) and goals against average (1.88).
Ullmark currently is a lock to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender, and if he keeps delivering performances like Tuesday night, he might deserve consideration for the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP.
