When a rookie Patrick Roy spoke to his goalposts once during the 1986 playoffs, he decided to make the habit a part of his routine as to not shake off any of the mojo it gave him on the way to a Stanley Cup win.
For some goaltenders, such quirky habits can become an integral part of their psyche moving forward and last their whole careers.
According to Linus Ullmark’s backup James Reimer, there’s been no such superstition with Ullmark as he’s played to a .930 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average in the month of April, willing the Senators into the playoffs and giving them more than a fair shake through the first leg of the series.
“I think for some guys it is like that, but Ully, I don’t think, is too superstitious or anything,” said Reimer on Wednesday after the Sens held an optional practice ahead of Game 3 on Thursday night. “We have a great friendship and a great dynamic, so it’s just more of the same every day, enjoying life.”
Despite the losses, the Senators have full confidence in their netminding as they look to claw back from a 2-0 deficit in the series against the Carolina Hurricanes. The belief is backed in part by how strong Ullmark has played, particularly on the penalty kill.
Since the beginning of April — again, combining regular season and playoffs — Ullmark has allowed only two power play goals on 27 shots. That .926 shorthanded save percentage would have ranked first among all goalies (with over five games played) in the regular season.
In the playoffs, he’s helped the Senators kill five of six opportunities from a Carolina Hurricanes power play that ranked fourth in the league (24.6 per cent) in the regular season.
“He’s on top of his game, and he’s certainly giving us a chance,” said Lars Eller. “I think you need everybody in a series, but you need your best players to be your best players. He’s been outstanding so far, and we’re probably going to need him to play at that level if we’re going to have success. It’s great to see him doing well, happy for the team and happy for him.”
Ullmark saved 43 shots in the double-overtime loss to the Hurricanes in Game 2, with each successive five-star save making you wonder if it would be looked back upon as a game-saver — including his stop on Jordan Martinook in the first overtime period, just the fifth overtime penalty shot in NHL history.
“It’s fun to watch, obviously he’s playing fantastic. What he’s doing right now is pretty incredible,” said Reimer. “As a goalie, you appreciate some of the finer things that other people don’t see or don’t understand.”
What are those “finer things” that Reimer has picked up on from his seat at the end of the bench during his hot streak? He’s going to keep them in-house.
“You know what? I am not going to say anything. And I hate to do that. I like a lot of things about his game, but in the spirit of the goalie union, I will keep those to myself. He’s playing incredibly well, he’s doing some things really, really well. He knows what they are, and most of the goalie world probably knows too.
“And even you guys, I’m sure, guys who aren’t goalies know what he’s doing really well.”
