Shortly after warmups began at TD Garden, Ullmark made his way to Swayman at both benches and gave each other a quick hug before posing for a photo together.

Ullmark and Swayman shared the goaltender for Boston for three seasons, with the duo forging a close friendship and becoming arguably the best goaltending tandem in the NHL.

During those three seasons, the Bruins posted an overall record of 163-58-25 and averaged 117 points per year. While Swayman quickly established himself as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL, Ullmark’s excellent numbers and veteran presence allowed Swayman to develop on his own timeline.

“It shows the kind of character he has,” Swayman said of Ullmark, who took home a Vezina Trophy with Boston during the 2022-23 season. “Just his awareness to pick up those guys around him and see what he could help with – with the experiences he’s been through, and shed some light so I wouldn’t make the same mistakes or find a little bit of a better way have in different situations.”

Ullmark, who was traded to Ottawa in June in exchange for 2024 first-round picks Joonas Korpisalo and Mark Kastelic, earned the start against Swayman and Boston on Saturday.

During the first media timeout, Ullmark received a video tribute, which highlighted some of his best saves, as well as his goal against the Canucks on Feb. 25, 2023 – the first in Bruins franchise history.

Once the video ended and the TD Garden crowd erupted in cheers, Ullmark skated onto the ice and raised his stick in salute to the Bruins fans.

Despite the warm sentiment shared in the early stages of Boston’s game against Ottawa, the Bruins are looking to capitalize on a slow start for Ullmark. Entering Saturday’s game, Ullmark has lost four of its last five games – with a save percentage of .873 over that stretch.

Conor Ryan can be reached at [email protected].