Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark didn't want to confirm nor deny that he refused to waive his no-trade clause last Friday. But in a way, he did, as an emotional Ullmark made it clear that he does not want to leave the Bruins under any circumstances.

“I’m just very happy to be here,” Ullmark said when asked about his no-trade clause wiping a would-be trade off the board. “This is the team that I want to be on. I’m very fortunate to be a part of this group. And, you know, ever since day one, I’ve loved it here. So I’m very happy with where I am right now.”

Ullmark’s decision to neither confirm nor deny the report is a mere continuation of Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s decision to do the same on Friday, though that’s not exactly out of character for Sweeney. In what’s become an unofficial club policy of sorts, often citing the human part of this game, Sweeney almost always opts to keep every single bit of information in house when it comes to any non-moves made by his club.

But the rumors were there.

Multiple outlets reported that Ullmark, who does have a 16-team no-trade list, was bound for Los Angeles in a trade to deliver the Kings some goaltending help. That, obviously, did not happen. And the Kings weren't the only team on the hunt for goalie help. Tom Fitzgerald's Devils were another team on the hunt for goaltending help (they ultimately settled on Jake Allen), and Fitzgerald even went as far to say that teams with goalies were trying to "extort" his club. (Buddy, welcome to the trade deadline when you're a win-now club with massive holes.)

And those rumors did disrupt Ullmark's week, he had to admit.

“Oh thank God, yes,” Ullmark admitted when he was asked if he’s happy to be done with the trade deadline season. “It’s tough. I mean, you try to act tough beforehand. You know, you don’t want to show anything [and] you don’t want to show any emotion. It’s kind of like [when you’re] in a playoff situation as well. But it is tough on players.

“And this is the first time when I’ve had to go through actually being rumored about. I’ve always felt safe, you know? But then once it actually starts picking up more and more and more, you hear those outside noises. It takes a toll on you. And then there’s this emotional part of it, and then you start thinking about your family, and then there’s all these questions that you just don’t have any answers to. So I am very happy that it’s over with, and I’m very glad and happy to be here.”

The overwhelming vibe out of the Boston room on Saturday was that the Bruins were overjoyed that Ullmark is still on their club, and that the Bruins opted not to split up their one-two punch with Ullmark opposite Jeremy Swayman.

The importance and the depth of that relationship has been made clear again and again, and Saturday was no exception, with a post-victory celebration that saw Swayman motion at Ullmark and then the ice, as if to say “you’re staying.” Their traditional post-win hug was a bit longer than usual, too, and Ullmark’s ovation from the Garden crowd after being named the No. 1 star of the game felt like a louder pop than usual.

“Well, there’s no easy games, but there’s some games you’re going to take with you a little bit longer, obviously, and you’re going to keep it in a little bit of the memory bank and you can pull it out from time to time, so same thing there,” Ullmark offered. “You know, I got emotional as well when Sway said all these nice words to me and, I would have done the same for him if he was in my shoes. And, you know, it’s tough to talk about, but like I said, I’m just so gosh darn happy.”

Zacha named Second Star of the Week by NHL

A big week from the Bruins' Pavel Zacha did not go unnoticed by the league office, as Zacha began Monday with word that he had been named the league's Second Star of the Week for the week ending on Mar. 10.

In action for four games, Zacha posted five goals and added two assists, while the Bruins grabbed seven of a possible eight points by way of their 3-0-1 record.

And though Zacha has an outside shot of matching last year’s career-best point total of 57 (Zacha is at 43 points with 16 games to go), he does have a solid chance of matching last year’s career-high goal total of 21, as he’s just four strikes away from matching it (and five away from breaking it).

B's set for showdown vs. Blues

The B's will wrap up this four-game homestand Monday night at the Garden with a visit from the Blues. This game will not come with the B's debut of defenseman Andrew Peeke, as Boston will instead stick with the same defensive six they rolled with on Saturday. Up front, Charlie Coyle is a game-time decision as he's currently going through some sort of sickness, which has led to a recall back to the NHL for Johnny Beecher.

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