The mild-mannered Linus Ullmark showed a different side of himself Sunday night in the final minutes of the Boston Bruins’ Game 4 victory against the Florida Panthers.
With the Panthers clearly frustrated by the 6-2 verdict, and the fact their impending loss was about to put them in a 3-1 hole in the Stanley Cup playoff series, Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk exchanged in some extracurriculars with Ullmark. Tkachuk initially hit Ullmark once or twice when the goalie was in his own crease, and was promptly taken to the ground by Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort and Brandon Carlo.
However, when Tkachuk got out of the clutches of both the Bruins and referees, he went back at an unsuspecting Ullmark. The Vezina Trophy favorite then retaliated to Tkachuk’s second effort, swinging at Tkachuk with his blocker hand before he dropped both his glove and blocker to the ice.
Tkachuk and Ullmark ultimately were separated before it could go any further, both receiving 10-minute misconducts. But Ullmark’s reaction nevertheless caught the attention of those in Boston’s dressing room.
“I love it,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the game, per 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson. “He’s all in.”
Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy told reporters he hadn’t seen that side from Ullmark, who he called “pretty fair-tempered,” as seen on NESN. Boston forward Garnet Hathaway also shared it was “fun” to see what happened.
“I think we’re going to keep Ullmark’s hands intact and not let him break anyone’s face,” Carlo told reporters, per Anderson.
When speaking about a hypothetical bout between the two, Brad Marchand told reporters: “He’s (Ullmark) got the size and reach. Maybe a little less experience than Tkachuk. Maybe one day we’ll get to see.”
Ullmark made a playoff career-high 41 stops on 43 shots in the victory. He was replaced by Jeremy Swayman after the incident with Tkachuk due to what Montgomery referred to as a precautionary decision to ensure nothing further ensued. Ullmark didn’t speak with reporters after the game because he was getting treatment.
The Bruins have the opportunity to close out the best-of-seven with Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch it on NESN.
