Bruins’ Linus Ullmark Ready To ‘Chase’ All-Star Jeremy Swayman

Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark will make his much-anticipated return to the crease Saturday night.

It’s been a bit since we’ve seen the 30-year-old, as he suffered a lower-body injury against the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 9 that kept him out of action for three games.

His return Saturday, which will come in an Original Six matchup with the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden, will give him an opportunity to exercise some “sour” feelings about his longest absence in the last few seasons.

“(I’m looking forward to it) a whole lot, even though it hasn’t been too long, it’s always sour standing off to the side,” Ullmark said Saturday morning, per team-provided video. “You want to be in it. … You miss what you don’t have.”

The Bruins haven’t had to stress Ullmark’s absence too much, however. Jeremy Swayman, who was named an All-Star for the first time this season, has held it down nicely and has Boston riding a three-game winning streak. That doesn’t surprise Ullmark, but has him eager to return and chase his goalie-hug buddy for playing time.

“I never had a doubt,” Ullmark said. “He’s an All-Star for a reason. It was very well-deserved. I thought he’d make it initially, and not on the fan vote. That’s how I felt initially. That’s how good he’s been for us this year. It’s always a fun thing to battle against the best, and I think he had the same kind of mindset last year when I had the opportunity to go.

“I’m very happy for him, but it’s also a little bit of a (chip) for me, as well, to chase him a little bit now. He’s gotten a couple of starts and played very well, and also the team has played well.”

Ullmark and Swayman have always had a healthy competition, but with the latter taking a jump this season, we could see them reverse roles from what we saw last season — where Ullmark was the undoubted No. 1 option.

It can be expected that the Bruins’ duo continues trading starts, but the net could be open for someone to take complete control.

You can watch Ullmark’s return live on NESN, with Boston and Montreal set to drop the puck at 7 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage.