Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark joined an exclusive list Saturday night.
Ullmark, 29, took advantage of the empty net and scored in the dying seconds during the Bruins’ win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rodgers Arena.
With his goal, the Swedish netminder becomes the 13th goalie in NHL history to score a goal in the regular season and the first Bruins goalie to accomplish the feat.
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“As soon as I shot I see three guys jumping towards me, and I had no idea where it was,” Ullmark told NHL.com.
Down 2-1, the Canucks’ pulled goalie Arturs Silovs in a last-ditch effort to push the game into overtime when Vancouver defenseman Quinn Hughes’ pass deflected off right winger Brock Boeser’s stick and ended up in front of Ullmark.
Seizing the moment, Ullmark pulled back on his goalie stick and lobbed the puck above the ice as the puck slid perfectly into the Canucks’ unattended net.
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“I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t see anything and then you become a little bit more aware of what’s happening, that the guys are starting to look up ice and then I see it going towards the net and the rest is history,” Ullmark said.
Before Ullmark, Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne was the last goaltender to score during a game when he did so against the Chicago Blackhawks in January 2020.
The 29-year-old Swedish native is in his eighth NHL season and is making a strong case for the Vezina Trophy, annually awarded to the league’s top goaltender. He improved his record to 30-4-1 and leads the league in goals against average (1.86) and save percentage (.938).
Ullmark was drafted in the sixth round — 163rd overall pick — by the Buffalo Sabres in 2012 and signed a 4 year, $20,000,000 contract with the Boston Bruins on Jul. 28, 2021.
With the 3-1 victory over the Canucks’, the Bruins moved to 45-8-5 and have 95 points and 217 goals on the season.
“It doesn’t happen often and just tops off an incredible season for him,” said Bruins forward Brad Marchand.