CHICAGO — The Blackhawks hadn’t completely moved on from Arvid Söderblom, but general manager Kyle Davidson wasn’t waiting for him to figure it out at the NHL level any longer.
Söderblom was given that chance all of last season and he failed. In turn, Davidson sought to ensure the Blackhawks weren’t in that position again. So Davidson signed Laurent Brossoit, one of the top free-agent goalies, and hoped to pair him with Petr Mrázek to give the Blackhawks more stability in net. It all meant Söderblom was likely to spend much of the season in the AHL and his future with the Blackhawks was left somewhat in doubt.
But then, the unexpected happened. Brossoit suffered an offseason knee injury which required surgery, later required a second procedure and still is nowhere near returning. The door opened again for Söderblom and this time he took full advantage of it. He’s played this season much like the Blackhawks hoped he would last season and shown why Davidson had been hopeful before that he could be their goalie of the future.
Which brings us to Friday. The Blackhawks had lost five in a row. Whatever optimism interim coach Anders Sorensen had built with some early wins had evaporated. Mrázek had struggled in net too and hadn’t been the reliable goalie he had been for much of the year. To make it all worse, the Blackhawks were embarrassed by the St. Louis Blues in the Winter Classic and had been the laughingstock of the league in recent days. The Blackhawks needed something, someone to step up and change the tide.
In stepped Söderblom. In arguably one of the most important starts of his NHL career, the 25-year-old Söderblom brought a much-needed calm and poise to the net and gave the Blackhawks a chance at winning on Friday. He denied the Montreal Canadiens shot after shot, especially in a 19-save second period, allowing the Blackhawks to not have to chase the game as they have lately and provided them time to create some offense. In the end, Söderblom finished with 38 saves on 40 shots and the Blackhawks won 4-2, their first victory since Dec. 19.
“It’s huge,” Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno said of Söderblom. “The way too he kept us in the end. That’s the moments you need. You don’t want to rely on him too much, but you know what? You need your goalies to make big saves. Other teams’ goalies do against us. He was the difference-maker today. I’m really thrilled for him too just in the way he’s played and come back this year. He’s such a good teammate, good person. You want to see him have success because he’s an outstanding goaltender, and he’s going to make our team that much better when he plays like that.”
It’s now time for the Blackhawks to see how far Söderblom can take them in the present and future. He deserves the opportunity to be the Blackhawks’ No. 1 goalie and be given a string of starts. The Blackhawks have a busy schedule coming up, and Söderblom should be in net for most of them.
Aside from being the goalie who probably gives the Blackhawks the best chance to win in the present, the Blackhawks also need to figure out whether Söderblom might still be their goalie of the future. With him being a restricted free agent after the season and the Blackhawks already having Mrázek and Brossoit signed for next season, Söderblom will want to force Davidson into a tough decision.
Söderblom has earned that chance not only with his performance Friday, but his overall play this season. He’s fixed what troubled him last season. He’s limited his rebound control. He’s been more prepared for shots. He’s put himself in better positions to make consecutive saves. He’s looked like he did with the Rockford IceHogs two seasons ago.
Friday was another example of that. The Blackhawks didn’t play a flawless game. They were giving up plenty of chances, and the game could have easily gone in the Canadiens’ favor in the second period. The Canadiens had 10 high-danger chances in that period alone, according to Natural Stat Trick. But Söderblom was there for each and every shot near and far the Canadiens put on him. The Blackhawks scored the lone goal in the second period despite being outshot 19-8 and took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
“I thought he put on a show there,” Blackhawks interim coach Anders Sorensen said. “They were hard saves too. A lot of lateral plays and one-timers and, yeah, he really kept us in the game. So really good for him, and really good for our group as well.”
Sorensen may not have liked how his team played in the second period, but Söderblom was for all the action.
“I like that,” Söderblom said. “When you get a lot of shots, it’s easy to stay focused and you’re feeling the puck a lot. I don’t mind that. It’s a good feeling for sure.”
Söderblom doesn’t mind plenty of shots nor the pressure that a game like Friday brings. To him, they’re all the same.
“I just try to focus on my game,” he said. “It’s always pressure no matter what game it is, the circumstances. It’s always pressure. But I just try to focus on my game.”
One of the things the Blackhawks addressed leading up to Friday’s game was being more physical. They felt it was a component that had been missing in recent games.
From the first shift when Jason Dickinson had a couple of hits, the Blackhawks were off and running. From Dickinson to Colton Dach, who was making his NHL debut, to Nolan Allan and much of the lineup, the Blackhawks weren’t timid.
“I mean, that’s a conversation we had,” Foligno said. “That’s what Dacher brings. He’s a power forward and when he plays like that, when you see a younger player, everybody jumps in. I thought Dicky set the tone, too, early on, two big hits on the first shift. Guys followed suit. Allan’s been playing so physical and so well. But I love what Dacher brings to our team. We’ll help him sustain that and do everything we can to make sure he’s comfortable. But he has to continue to drive the bus himself and I’m sure he will.”
That physical approach to the game was shown in the hits, but also where the Blackhawks were willing to put themselves on the ice. Foligno was around the net to redirect a Wyatt Kaiser shot for the Blackhawks’ second goal. Later, Pat Maroon drove the net and was rewarded with a pass from Ryan Donato for another goal. Finally, Foligno knocked home a rebound after Alex Vlasic and Taylor Hall had quality chances.
“Today we were there and we stopped (at the net),” Sorensen said. “And I think that Nick’s was like three or four chances to get in right, but he stopped in that area and ended up scoring right. So that was a huge goal, obviously, for us. But even Patty’s drive into that area, and it’s something we got to keep doing.”
The Blackhawks were looking to get Foligno a hat trick and he had one shot nearly hit an open net late in the game, but it wasn’t to be.
“I was saying, I was pretty tired at the end there,” Foligno said. “I was just more worried about the win. It obviously would’ve been nice but I’ve had those in my career. Hopefully I have another.”
Dach’s NHL debut would have been special regardless, but going up against his brother Kirby Dach made it extra special.
“When we were taking that photo at center ice with my brother, it was definitely a moment I’ll never forget,” Colton said. “Just looking around the rink and realizing what it all came for. I know my family is super excited and I wish my mom could be here for it too, but I’m sure she’ll come when she can.”
Dach’s mother and sister were in Europe for a hockey tournament, but Dach’s father, Dale, was in the stands. Dale said earlier in the day his wife and daughter planned to watch the game in the middle of the night in Europe. Dale went to dinner with his sons at Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse on Thursday.
“It’s a very proud moment for all of us,” Dale said of Colton’s debut during the Blackhawks’ morning skate. “We’ve been waiting for this moment, and it’s here. We’re just very excited for him to get to the next chapter. (Playing against Kirby), that’s got another level of emotion set up. You want both kids to be successful. You just want them to always be happy. A lot of emotions running around, right? Very proud, very proud.”
Kirby and Colton didn’t have much interaction on the ice Friday, but Kirby did have one thing to say to his little brother.
“But he did tell me to stay on my feet after I drew that one penalty,” Colton said. “Maybe a little talk there.”
(Photo: Matt Marton / USA Today)
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