Smiling. Chipper. Quick with a quip as always.
Linus Ullmark was back in Buffalo practicing in a different uniform Thursday and he'll be in the opposing net Friday in KeyBank Center making his debut for the Boston Bruins.
The Sabres are trying for their first 4-0 start since 2008 and will have to beat their former starting goalie to get there. Ullmark, 28, left in July for a four-year, $20 million free agent contract to take over the Boston net from franchise icon Tuukka Rask.
"I'm the same guy with different paychecks. That's it," Ullmark cracked after his workout. "There's nothing going on off the ice that I haven't done before and that's what got me here. ... I want to be a person that people can rely on on and off the ice. I will kind of continue plugging away and try to bring myself to another level this year."
Linus Ullmark said he and #Sabres “didn’t see eye to eye” on a new deal and there were some tearful goodbyes when he made the decision to sign with Boston. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/Gbj6cr0uNZ
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) October 21, 2021
People are also reading…
Ullmark battled injuries last season and managed to play only 20 games but easily gave the Sabres their best chance to win. Pretty amazing you could play for the NHL's 31st-place team and go 9-6-3 with a 2.63 goals-against average and .917 save percentage but Ullmark did exactly that.
"It's going to be weird. I'll do everything I can to score on him," said Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. "I like scoring on him."
Why is that?
"It's just how it is," Dahlin said. "He talked a lot of ... when I scored on him."
Retorted a smiling Ullmark: "If they start talking, I'll keep talking to them."
On Monday, Nov. 16, the team introduced new reverse retro jerseys. Read more
But turning serious, Ullmark said he's far more focused on the big picture: His debut with a new team and getting them a win.
"I'll always try to keep it keep it to myself," he said. "I don't want to get too riled up. It's an important game coming back here first time so I'm looking forward to that and my goal tomorrow is to win. It's always been like that."
Ullmark had a disappointing preseason for the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman started the first two games, including Wednesday's 6-3 loss at Philadelphia. But Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Ullmark comes to the rink in a good mood every day and has worked hard in practice the last two weeks shoring up his game. As for making his regular-season debut in Buffalo, Cassidy said it wasn't much of a factor.
"He knows their shooters better than anybody and their shooters know him better than anybody so I just think it's the way that everything fell," Cassidy said. "Swayman had a good opener; we felt he was a little ahead. ... We knew they were each going to play a game this trip. It could have just as easily worked the other way. We play Buffalo four times. I figured he'd get to play them sooner or later. Just happened be the first one."
Ullmark called his departure from Buffalo "bittersweet" but it's well known the Sabres weren't willing to match Boston's four-year term because they have prospect goalies in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Erik Portillo and Devon Levi.
"When Boston came knocking, it felt like a good decision to go to a contender, great franchise, great team, good teammates all around," he said. " It's been fun ever since I left."
Ullmark said he didn't know how much the decision would impact him until he starting making phone calls to teammates and people within the Buffalo organization.
"I wanted to really let them know how much they meant to me and that they've helped me through the years and was very thankful for their support," he said. "So once I started doing that, that's when they actually hit me that I was about to leave, and there were some tearful goodbyes. ... I still have a lot of respect and a lot of gratitude towards everybody in this organization."
Ullmark hasn't played a game in the last two weeks as Boston's schedule has been very light to date. It's given him a lot of chance at practice time.
"It's getting better every day. It's a work in progress. I'm one of the new guys for once and they're taking good care of me," he said. "A lot of conversation on and off the ice that just makes it more and more automatic, instead of having to think about what I should do out there."
So who has the edge here when former goalie meets old teammates?
"It's always good to see other friends but there's business (Friday)," said Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons said. "It's good for us. I feel like that we know him a little bit and we know where to shoot on him. It works both ways. He knows us. We know him. It's always fun to play against former teammates. I like it. That doesn't mean that you're gonna take it easy on him. I feel like usually you try to go a little harder."
