Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark is having an incredible season this year. And on Sunday, he added a bit of NHL history to his impressive showing for the league’s best team.
Ullmark stopped 17 shots against the San Jose Sharks in a 4-0 win. It’s the fourth shutout for the Bruins goaltender this season and his 25th win on the campaign.
Ullmark reached the 25-win plateau in just 28 decisions. No goaltender in NHL history has reached 25 wins in fewer decisions, as confirmed by ESPN’s Arda Ocal on Sunday night.
In fact, the last goaltender to hold the record for fewest decisions to 25 wins played for the Bruins. Tiny Thompson needed 29 decisions to win 25 games during the 1929-30 season.
Ullmark is having a career season for the Bruins this year. He holds a 25-2-1 record in 30 starts, with a sparkling 1.82 goals against average and .938 save percentage.
The 29-year-old is a major reason why the Bruins are playing as well as they are. Boston holds the league’s best record at 37-5-4, good for 78 points and a 14-point lead in the Atlantic Division.
While the success is certainly something to praise, Ullmark opened up about some of the challenges that come with it. The biggest challenge being the need to fight off complacency, according to the Bruins goaltender.
“It’s taken a lot of me mentally to keep it going and not be kind of satisfied. It’s hard. When you have the luxury to be at this point midway through the season, this is usually where you’re at in the end of the season,” Ullmark told reporters recently.
The Bruins are certainly Stanley Cup contenders through the midway point of the season. If their star goaltender can keep up this incredible form, Boston will have a deep playoff run in the future.