When the chips are down, even your No. 1 goalie needs a little help.
Linus Ullmark was sprawling on the ice, desperately looking to keep his team ahead in a do-or-die Game 4 Saturday night. With Max Pacioretty at the doorstep, Ullmark lifted his glove, hoping to get a piece of the oncoming shot. He did. But the true man of the moment was Tyler Kleven, who batted the puck out of mid-air, saving a sure goal.
Game 4 featured a handful of solid performances in Ottawa’s 4-3 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs. For the first time in the series, the Sens scored more than two goals in a game. Forwards Tim Stützle and Shane Pinto, who were called on to be strong defensively, answered the call for offence, as did David Perron and Jake Sanderson. Even Kleven, the Sens’ third-pairing defenceman who bailed out Ullmark, drew rave reviews for his play.
“His game is really growing and it’s taken off probably since Christmas,” Sens head coach Travis Green said.
But Ullmark’s performance was lost in the shuffle. His 31 saves led to his first playoff win in over two years. It was also the first time Ullmark posted a save percentage above .900 in a game all series long (.912), and since last spring when he played against the Leafs as a member of the Boston Bruins. But we’re not here to talk about the Bruins. We’re here to talk about how Ullmark finally got the better of Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, and how that helped keep Ottawa alive.
But if the Senators want to complete their audacious comeback after being down three games to none, Ullmark will have to replicate and improve upon his Game 4 performance.
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GO FURTHER
Senators need Linus Ullmark to steal Game 5 against the Maple Leafs