3 Stars: Linus Ullmark saves the day for the Bruins

The Bruins sure know how to make a ‘slump’ feel like ancient history, huh?

It was this time just a week ago that the Bruins dropped a straight-up gross game to the Blackhawks in Chicago, which was good for their third loss in their last four outings. The Bruins looked gassed, sluggish, and at times disinterested. Well, a week later and the Bruins are riding a four-game win streak thanks to Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Senators at TD Garden.

So, what’s in the secret sauce?

“Just in the course of the season, you have the energy levels that will go up and we’ll be feeling really good about ourselves and guys have legs and tons of energy and then occasionally you’re going to have down cycles where your energy isn’t [there],” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said after the victory. “And that’s what happened there for a little while. Like we couldn’t couldn’t make 15-foot passes.

“That isn’t common for us”

The energy in this one arrived off the bat, too, as all three goals scored in this game came in the opening 20 minutes of play despite the Atlantic Division foes combining for 76 shots in total by the night’s end.

• Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars from a win over the Sens…

• No. 3 Star: Mads Sogaard

  

  Mar 21, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Ottawa Senators goaltender Mads Sogaard (40) looks on during the first period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

• Keeping the B’s offense in check is no easy feat. Especially on TD Garden ice.

  But the Sens’ Mads Sogaard did about as well as Ottawa could have hoped for with his team on the second leg of a back-to-back, as he stopped all but two of the 35 shots thrown his way in a losing effort. Sogaard had to keep his head on a swivel, too, as the Bruins hammered him for 12 high-danger shots throughout the night.

  Sogaard, who stands at an absolutely gigantic 6-foot-7, actually became just the sixth goaltender to hold the Bruins to two goals or fewer in their building this season, and just the second to do it and lose (John Gibson also took a hard-luck loss to the Bruins on Garden ice this year way back in October).

• No. 2 Star: Jake DeBrusk

  

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 21: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins scores a goal on a backhand shot against goaltender Mads Sogaard #40 of the Ottawa Senators during the first period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

• Don’t look now, but Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk is catching fire again.

  On the heels of the second four-point outing of his career this past Sunday in Buffalo, DeBrusk came through with the game-winning goal in what finished as a 2-1 victory for the Black and Gold.

• JUST OBSCENE. pic.twitter.com/ytvaYwpTK4

  — x - Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 21, 2023

• But DeBrusk was all over the board in this contest, really, as he finished his night with five shots and five hits in the winning effort, and had a fantastic back-checking effort in a second period that was all Ottawa to deny the Senators a prime scoring chance that would’ve tied things up at 2-2.

  Of course, DeBrusk’s success with Boston’s one-two of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand is nothing new, but it’s been absolutely to watch the difference he makes on that line when he is feeling himself.

• DeBrusk is also up to 39 goals in 84 games since Feb. 24, 2022 (when the Bruins promoted him to the first line). That's tied for the 42nd-most in the NHL over that span. 32 have come at even-strength play, tied for 22nd-most in hockey. https://t.co/DF6m4b2zgK

  — Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) March 22, 2023

• No. 1 Star: Linus Ullmark

  

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 21: Linus Ullmark #35 of the Boston Bruins hugs Jeremy Swayman #1 after defeating the Ottawa Senators at the TD Garden on March 21, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

• The ridiculousness put forth by B’s goalie Linus Ullmark has become so commonplace this season that you almost don’t even bat an eye when he puts forth a 40-save performance. Just Linus doin’ Linus things, really.

  But the Bruins needed the runaway Vezina winner to do extra Linus things on Tuesday night, especially in what was a perfect 21-for-21 showing in the middle frame. Ullmark stood tall in that second period, and throughout the night, really, as his only blemish came by way of a Dylan Gambrell goal that had him guessing which way Gambrell was going with his shot behind the Boston goal.

• "We got together in between periods and Bergy rallied the troops."
  
  Linus Ullmark and holding a 2-1 lead over the Senators through the 2nd and 3rd periods. @AndrewRaycroft | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/cwme2XZDPB

  — NESN (@NESN) March 22, 2023

• With the win, Ullmark bumped his 2022-23 line up to 35 wins through 41 decisions. Ullmark also bumped his season save percentage back up to .937 (he entered today’s game with a .935) and dipped his goals against average from 1.97 down to 1.95.