Bruins Teammates Wowed By Linus Ullmark’s Vezina-Worthy Start

If anyone says they expected Linus Ullmark to have this kind of start for the Boston Bruins, they are lying.

That is by no means a shot at Ullmark, who has been a good goaltender throughout his career and stepped up admirably alongside Jeremy Swayman in the absence of Tuukka Rask in 2021-22. But a Vezina Trophy candidate? Who saw that coming?

Well, it appears the Bruins did. After Boston’s latest win, a 3-1 runaway from the Vegas Golden Knights, players and coaches all around paid their respects to Ullmark.

“He’s such a stud. I just told him that,” Taylor Hall said Sunday night, per team provided video. “He’s gotta be the best, if not one of the best, first-shot goalies in the league and we take care of the rest. It’s awesome playing in front of him. He makes us feel comfortable. He makes saves look easy. It’s a fun goalie to play in front of.”

The 30-save effort Sunday helped Boston avenge its loss six days prior — which broke a 14-game home win streak to open the season. It was just the latest in a long string of tremendous efforts by Ullmark, whose 16-1-0 record, .941 save percentage and 1.77 goals against average lead the NHL. As you could expect, the 29-year-old’s dominant season has done more than made him an All-Star favorite, it has rocketed to the top of the Vezina Trophy odds board.

Vezina Trophy Odds
Linus Ullmark: +375
Ilya Sorokin: +375
Connor Hellebuycyk: +425
Jake Oettinger: +650
Igor Shesterkin: +700

As of Dec. 8, Ullmark had not only climbed the odds board, but found himself as one of the most popular names among the betting public. BetMGM data analyst Drew O’Dell reported Ullmark had commanded the second most total bets (11.4%) and second highest handle (19.5%) on the award, trailing only Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger (13.7% tickets; 28.4% handle).