Perhaps you're the type who rolls up in the drive-thru lane at your favorite fast-food burger joint and orders the double with cheese.

Or maybe you're someone who prefers an occasional alcohol-infused libation. You belly up to the bar and order a double.

Linus Ullmark? He took things to an extreme. He went to his doctor in Sweden and ordered a double hip surgery for the off-season.

So much for summer fun. But in having his hips repaired in late April, he's now ready for some winter fun on another continent.

That fun began Saturday night when Ullmark made an ahead-of-schedule North American debut with the Rochester Americans. The 22-year-old Buffalo Sabres prospect made 38 saves in a 2-1 victory over the visiting Utica Comets.

Jerry D'Amigo and Jack Nevins scored the Amerks' goals 14 seconds apart in the third minute of the second period, and Ullmark did the rest, or at least a whole lot of it. as the Comets outshot Rochester 39-22.

"He was stellar," said Nevins, who scored the first goal of his pro career 2:19 into the second period.

Name a part of goaltending and Ullmark graded highly. He was, simply put, terrific.

"An understatement right there," Amerks coach Randy Cunneyworth said. "You could go on and on. Positioning, quickness, finding the puck, reading the play. Textbook."

Ullmark hadn't seen shots in a game since mid-April. He wasn't able to play in preseason game with the Buffalo Sabres or the Amerks because he was still working his body back into shape after his surgeries.

The work on both hips was necessary due to the wear and tear goaltending causes on the body, he said. That may be especially true for a big goalie. Ullmark is 6 feet 4, 212 pounds).

"It's kind of hard to do anything without hips, don't you think?" Ullmark said with a smile afterward. "There's a lot of people in this spot that have problems with their hips but some people get more problems. We got to the point where it was needed for me to get a surgery."

He noticed a difference as soon as he started practicing.

"Everything is great," said Ullmark, who was drafted on the sixth round by the Sabres in 2012. I've got more mobility. I can stretch out a lot more. Before that, I couldn't do stuff because I couldn't try to get into the splits because my hips were in the way."

The initial prognosis was that he might possibly be out eight months, though it wasn't a firm projection. He made it back in under six.

The first puck he saw — a snap by Alexandre Grenier from the right circle — hit him directly in his mask just 85 seconds into the game. No biggie.

"It made me awake," he said. "You can always save with your glove in front of you but sometimes you've got to use everything you've got."

He made the header save again in the waning seconds on a shot by Nicklas Jensen.

His first real test in the game came at 9:20 of the first period, when defenseman Taylor Fedun weaved in from the right point and ended up alone and with time in the right of the slot. Ullmark never flinched, though, and when Fedun shot for the top corner the goalie flicked up his glove to snare it.

About 90 seconds later, he needed to react quickly as Cole Cassels, positioned deep in the slot, redirected a point shot.

Midway through the second period, he showed very good lateral movement as Alex Friesen, attacking with speed, shot low off the rush. His intent was to create a rebound off Ullmark's pads, and it worked perfectly but the goalie shifted to his left and was in A-one position to stop the follow-up shot.

With 3:45 left in the second period he came out as necessary on a Comets' three-on-two short-handed fast break and smothered the shot from the trailer on the play, Alex Biega.

Kevin's 3 stars

1. Linus Ullmark, G, Amerks ... Always in position, made 38 saves in North American debut.

2. Nicklas Jensen, RW, Comets ... 1 goal, 6 shots, seemed to always be dangerous.

3. Jack Nevins, RW, Amerks ... Spirited fight, first pro goal.