Linus Ullmark went from being recognized as the best goalie in the league during the regular season to completely falling apart in the playoffs. Now there are questions about whether the Boston Bruins goalie was playing through a big injury in the team’s loss to the Florida Panthers in the first round of the postseason.
On Monday, a day after Boston blew a 3-2 lead with a minute left in Game 7 and lost 4-3 in overtime, ex-NHL goalie-turned-analyst Kevin Weekes tweeted a defense of Ullmark, who had been benched for Game 7.
Weekes tweeted that Ullmark was playing through a “debilitating and painful injury” in the playoffs.
“Like all teams ; players grit it out to play through major injuries in the Playoffs. My sources tell me soon to be Vezina G Ullmark was playing through a debilitating & painful injury that limited his mobility and technique,” Weekes tweeted.
@NHLBruins . Like all teams ; players grit it out to play through major injuries in the Playoffs. My sources tell me soon to be Vezina G Ullmark was playing through a debilitating & painful injury that limited his mobility and technique. @espn @NHL @NHLNetwork #HockeyTwitter
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) May 1, 2023
That report may have explained a few things, such as why Ullmark allowed six goals on 32 shots in Game 6.
Ullmark was asked about the report during a media appearance on Tuesday and refused to blame any of his issues on injuries.
Here’s a few of Ullmark’s non-answers from today. pic.twitter.com/J5hfKtCCtR
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) May 3, 2023
Ullmark said he had full confidence in his abilities otherwise he would have stepped aside. So he’s not about to blame injuries or make excuses.
While the report could add some context, it certainly won’t make Bruins fans feel any better. Rather, it will leave them asking more questions, such as why Jeremy Swayman wasn’t playing earlier in the series. It also just comes across as an excuse nobody wants to hear, especially since the team led 3-1 through the first four games.
Ullmark will win the Vezina Trophy, and Boston will still have the record for the best regular season in NHL history. People will remember that, and they will also remember the team choking away a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs and blowing a 3-2 lead with a minute left in Game 7. It’s unfortunate for them that that is their lasting image of what was otherwise a spectacular 2022-2023 season.
